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	Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar is looking at extending child benefit to students who have reached their 18th birthday but are still in full-time education.</p>
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	Mr Varadkar said the issue had been raised by newly elected Fianna F&aacute;il TD Frank O&rsquo;Rourke, who had pointed out that it was quite common for students aged 18 and older to be still at school.</p>
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	In a D&aacute;il response last week, the minister told Mr O&rsquo;Rourke that the child benefit scheme was introduced at a time when few children completed transition year.</p>
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	Mr Varadkar said he would look at the possibility of extending child benefit to 18- and 19-year-olds who were still in 6th year, but it would have to be looked at in the context of everything else.</p>
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	Speaking on RT&Eacute; radio yesterday, Mr Varadkar said he would also consider other areas of social protection to see if the &euro;60m needed for child benefit for all 18-year-olds could be better spent.</p>
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	He also announced that the carer&rsquo;s support grant, formerly known as the respite care grant, is to be paid to 86,000 carers on Thursday.</p>
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	The grant is automatically paid to some carers, but the minister urged all carers to apply for the grant.</p>
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	Mr Varadkar said carers who provided full-time care for more than one person might also be entitled to &euro;1,700 for each person they cared for.</p>
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	The estimated expenditure on the carer&rsquo;s&rsquo; support grant this year is &euro;157.6m. Mr Varadkar said that the payment had been reduced by &euro;325 because of the economic crisis.</p>
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	The head of communications at Family Carers Ireland, Catherine Cox, welcomed the restoration of the payment that had been cut by 19% three years ago.</p>
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	Ms Cox said there were more than 200,000 carers in the country, and she believed a significant number did not realise that they were entitled to claim the payment.</p>
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	She was also concerned that cuts in home help hours by the HSE was having a huge impact on family carers.</p>
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	&ldquo;It is very difficult for carers to take a respite break if they are not getting the support to allow them to do that,&rdquo; said Ms Cox.</p>
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	(Published by the Irish Examiner&nbsp;on the 30th May 2016)</p>
<p>
	<a href="http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/varadkar-may-give-child-benefit-to-young-adults-in-school-402226.html">http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/varadkar-may-give-child-benefit-to-young-adults-in-school-402226.html</a></p>
