1,700 requests a day for back-to-school grant

APPLICATIONS FOR the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance are being received by the Department of Social Protection at a rate of 1,700 a day, a spokeswoman has said.

The allowance, of €150 for primary schoolchildren and €250 for secondary students, is paid to most families in receipt of social welfare payments.

More than 115,000 families with over 200,000 children have been receiving the payments automatically, the department said. Nearly €40 million has been paid to this group under the scheme, which has a budget this year of €63.7 million.

A further 47,000 applications have been received by the department from families who did not automatically qualify, at a rate of 1,700 a day.

More than 19,000 of these have been processed so far and more than 17,000 had qualified. Payments have been made in these cases, the department spokeswoman said, but the total cost is not yet available.

Applications for the means-tested scheme will be accepted up to the end of September. Last year, the scheme ran over budget after more than 200,000 applications were received.

The payment has since been cut, by €50 for primary school children and €55 for those at second level.

A survey released yesterday by the National Consumer Agency found parents expected to pay €190 for clothing and footwear and a further €70 for gym gear at primary level and at secondary level, €207 for clothing and footwear and €85 for gym gear. They also expect to spend €154 on books and stationery for primary schoolchildren and €250 at secondary level.

In total, parents estimated back-to-school costs at €487 for each primary schoolchild and €620 for those going to secondary school.

One in five said they would need to apply for the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance to fund some of the costs, while 12 per cent said they would borrow the money from banks or friends and family.

A small number said they would use a moneylender.

The survey, carried out for the agency by Amárach Research, also found almost 80 per cent of parents were more concerned about back-to-school costs than they were last year.

Ann Fitzgerald, chief executive of the agency, said that based on the research, a family of four, with one primary and one secondary-level child, could have to pay up to €1,100, on average, just to send their children back to school.

“Spending this amount of money on back-to-school costs is a significant financial pressure for most parents, especially those who may be already struggling financially.”

Parents who had not set aside money could use a back-to-school budget planner provided on the agency's website nca.ie, she said.