Families will receive help to meet school uniform costs

LOW-income families have been assured that they will be able to apply from next week for help towards the cost of school uniforms despite delays with the scheme last year.

Almost 140,000 families received help for an estimated 277,713 children in 2009 under the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance, at a cost of around €67 million, up significantly on the families of 200,000 children who benefited a year earlier and 180,252 children in 2007, when the total paid out was €40m.

Those households where a social welfare or Health Service Executive (HSE) payment is being made generally qualify for the scheme, as well as those on certain employment schemes or training courses and who have an income below certain levels.

The maximum weekly earnings allowed to qualify have increased by 1% from last year, to €410.10 for a lone parent or €563.60 for a couple with one qualifying child, rising to €499.50 or €653 for those with four children.

The payment rates will be the same as last year, at €200 for each child aged two to 11, and €305 for those aged 12 to 17, with the higher amount also payable for dependent children aged 18 to 22 in full-time education.

In response to warnings from Sinn Féin that delays in issuing the income limits and application forms will cause major hardship for families over the summer, the Department of Social Protection has said details will be advertised shortly.

The scheme generally operates between June and September each year and is administered for the department by the HSE’s community welfare service.

In order to speed up the process, it is planned to issue forms by mid-June to families who received the allowance last year and who are still receiving a social welfare payment, based on information supplied to the HSE by the department.

“The purpose is to provide the HSE with the most up-to-date information that will allow them to issue an application form to individual households most likely to qualify for the scheme in 2010,” a spokesperson said.

She said the HSE is finalising arrangements for individuals wishing to apply but who did not receive the allowance last year, but any intending applicant can make a claim through their local community welfare office from next Tuesday, June 1.

Sinn Féin Dáil leader Caoimhigín O Caoláin said families hoping to apply will experience major delays unless immediate action is taken to speed up the processing of applications.

“In many cases, uniforms come into shops in June and parents need to budget to pay for uniforms, schoolbooks and other school expenses by spreading their spending over the summer months,” he said.

But despite his concerns that there are inadequate staff to cope with rising applications, the department spokesperson said the system is expected to run smoothly, helped by getting applications directly to last year’s recipients.