Some families forced to wait a month to get allowance

MORE than four-in-five of the record 160,000-plus applications for help with the cost of uniforms have been processed but families in some parts of the country must still wait up to a month after applying.

Families have until the end of September to apply to the HSE for the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance, but up to last Friday there were 10,000 more claims than the same time last year. Almost €59 million had been paid out to 109,500 households in the same time, €5m of it last week alone.

Applications are being finalised in just three days in some regions, such as the east of the country, but a surge in claims in Galway, Mayo and Roscommon in recent weeks meant 7,300 of the 14,500 forms received there were awaiting consideration. The latest indications from the HSE are that it is taking staff between a week and a month to finalise claims there, while an average wait of a month can be expected for those families applying for help in mid-west counties of Clare, Limerick and north Tipperary.