Child benefit 'should be paid as long as over-18s are in school' – minister

Heather Humphreys also said she wants to introduce the auto-enrolment pension system by the middle of next year

Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys was speaking at the Fine Gael think-in in Limerick City. Picture: Karlis Dzjamko

Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys has indicated that families with over-18s who are still in secondary school will continue to receive child benefit. 

Speaking at the Fine Gael think-in in Limerick City, Ms Humphreys said she wanted to see child benefit continue to be paid out to families until their children have completed secondary school.

Ms Humphreys said that the issue of parents no longer receiving child benefit when their over-18s are still in secondary school has been raised “on many occasions” with her.

“Currently if you are at secondary school and you reach 18, regardless of what stage you’re in the cycle, maybe you’re Leaving Cert, maybe you’re the year before that but your parents stop receiving child benefit when you reach age 18.

“This has been raised with me on many occasions that the children are still in secondary school and the benefit stops.

“I’d like to continue that benefit until they finish their secondary education and I think that would be something that would be welcomed.”

Ms Humphreys confirmed that there were no plans to extend child benefit payments to families with children in third-level education.

Asked if she was considering increasing child benefit, or if there would be another double child benefit payment, Ms Humphreys said that she was “looking at all the different options” ahead of Budget 2024.

Ms Humphreys said that the double child benefit payment, paid out last November, was widely welcomed.

The Social Protection Minister also confirmed that she would bring the legislation to introduce the auto-enrolment pension system “very shortly” and she wanted to see the system introduced in mid-2024.

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“On auto-enrolment, it will be transformational in terms of our pension outlook… It’s a massive body of work.

“But there are 750,000 people in this country, and mainly women, that have no provision other than the State pension.

“I want to make sure that when they retire they have a pot, that they can get a pension fund, just so they can cushion that drop from work to pension.”