Charity inundated with school cost pleas

THE Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP) is being inundated with appeals for financial assistance as students prepare to return to classes and lecture halls.

Professor John Monaghan, SVP’s vice-president with responsibility for social justice, welcomed the move by Social Protection Minister Joan Burton to make automatic payment of the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance to previous recipients and end the long delays.

“But one of the big problems is for families not eligible for the school uniform allowance, because they are just above the income limits or they do not get a social welfare payment but are in low-paying jobs,” he said.