Back-to-school grants cost state €80m

ALMOST €80 million has been paid out by the state to 160,000 families in need of help with the costs of sending their children back to school.

The record figure – up from €67m last year – may yet rise as another 1,500 applications for the Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BSCFA) were still being processed in mid-October by Health Service Executive (HSE) staff. At one point in mid-August more than 33,000 applications – more than one-in-five received at that point – had yet to be even processed by HSE staff.

Between 6,000 and 7,000 families were applying each week as schools re-opened in late August and early September.