Grants delay leaves SVP ‘inundated’ with requests for help

DELAYS with the back to school clothing and footwear grants have left the country’s largest charity inundated with pleas for help.

More than 40,000 applicants for the allowance are still awaiting word on their applications just days before the new school term begins with waiting times of up to a month still in prospect in some counties.

The Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP) described the delays as “intolerable” and said they were placing huge pressure on the charity as families sought help to buy uniforms and shoes. John Monaghan, SVP’s national vice-president, said the charity spent over €4 million on education costs last year – a 10% increase on 2008 – and a further rise was expected this year with the worsening recession.

“Right from the beginning of summer, one of the things that’s coming from the regional offices continually is a significant increase in people coming to the society for help, and particularly with back to education costs,” he said.

“The word ‘inundated’ is used in reports from practically all our regional presidents.”

Figures published yesterday by the HSE show that 161,703 applications for grants had been received. In 120,968 cases, the money had been paid out but the processing times for applications varied from 3-5 days in the east, to 15 days in much of the south, to an average of 30 days in Limerick, Clare and North Tipperary and between 7 and 30 days in Galway, Mayo and Roscommon.

Mr Monaghan said: “There is an intolerable delay within the administration system. It’s not as if this process is not going to occur next year and yet every summer there seems to be some kind of a hold-up and now it’s particularly bad because of what was a predictable increase in applications. It’s ludicrous that we end up paying for uniforms and footwear when the state agrees it should pay for them. It’s too late when the grants are paid. We can’t ask people for that money back.”

The HSE said extra efforts were made this year to encourage people to apply early, including sending text message alerts and partially completed forms where details had been supplied previously so that only a signature was required if circumstances hadn’t changed.

In a statement it said: “Despite the fact that the scheme began in June applications are still being received at a rate of 1,000 per day.” It added: “The most common delay is caused by forms being incorrectly filled in or not being accompanied by the required documentation.”

Mr Monaghan said he also expected worse than usual delays with the processing of third level grants.

“Families who will be deemed eligible for grants will still have to pay college registration fees of €1,500 because their applications aren’t processed in time. We’ll end up paying that and we’re unlikely to see it back.”

Labour put the blame on Health Minister Mary Harney, saying she had failed to provide adequate administrative staff in anticipation of the increase in applicants.