Seán Sherlock
Question:740. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection the cost of expanding child benefit to 18 and 19-year-olds in full-time education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36756/23]
View answerTuesday, 25 July 2023
Questions (740)
Written answers
Child Benefit is a universal monthly payment made to families with children up to the age of 16 years. The payment continues to be paid in respect of children until their eighteenth birthday who are in full-time education, or who have a disability. It is currently paid to over 650,000 families in respect of over 1.2 million children with an estimated expenditure of more than €2.1 billion in 2023.
Families on low incomes may be able to avail of a number of social welfare schemes that support children in full-time education until the age of 22, including:
- Increase for a Qualified Child with primary social welfare payments;
- the Working Family Payment for low-paid employees with children; and
- the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance, where the child is in second level education.
These schemes provide targeted assistance that is directly linked to household income and thereby support low-income families with older children participating in full-time education.
There are currently no plans to extend Child Benefit in respect of full-time students who are over 18 years of age and in full time education. Such an extension would have significant cost implications and would have to be considered in an overall budgetary context.
The Department does not hold figures on the number of students aged 19 and over in full-time education or training. The estimated full-year cost of extending Child Benefit to 18-year-olds still in secondary school at the current rate of payment is €65m.
I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.