Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 September 2020
790. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Social Protection the extent of the backlog in issuing the back to school allowance by county; the action being taken to address the backlog; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22694/20]
View answerThe back to school clothing and footwear allowance scheme provides a once-off payment to eligible families to assist with the costs of clothing and footwear when children start or return to school each autumn. The allowance paid for each eligible child aged from 4 to 11 years on or before 30 September 2020 is €150 while an allowance of €275 is paid for each eligible child aged over 12 on or before 30 September 2020.
The allowance is payable for eligible children between the ages of 4 and 17 in respect of whom a qualified child increase is being paid. It is also payable to those between the ages of 18 and 22 who are in full-time second level education and in respect of whom a qualified child allowance is being paid.
This year, the eligibility criteria for back to school clothing and footwear allowance has been extended to include the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment as a qualifying payment for the allowance. Recipients of this payment will also need to satisfy all the other qualifying conditions in order to qualify.
The scheme opened to new applications on 6 July 2020. To date 38,645 applications have been received which is a 19.5% increase in applications during the same period in 2019. Some 18,379 applications have been processed and the remaining 20,266 applications pending a decision by county are as follows:
|
County |
No. of applications |
|
Carlow |
374 |
|
Cavan |
392 |
|
Clare |
479 |
|
Cork |
2,016 |
|
Donegal |
830 |
|
Dublin |
4,887 |
|
Galway |
1,073 |
|
Kerry |
641 |
|
Kildare |
951 |
|
Kilkenny |
347 |
|
Laois |
390 |
|
Leitrim |
155 |
|
Limerick |
839 |
|
Longford |
290 |
|
Louth |
718 |
|
Mayo |
659 |
|
Meath |
908 |
|
Monaghan |
370 |
|
Offaly |
395 |
|
Roscommon |
280 |
|
Sligo |
287 |
|
Tipperary |
647 |
|
Waterford |
585 |
|
Westmeath |
431 |
|
Wexford |
762 |
|
Wicklow |
547 |
|
Other |
13 |
|
Total |
20,266 |
Back to school clothing and footwear allowance applications are being dealt with strictly on a date of receipt order. The back to school clothing and footwear allowance section is based in Sligo and there is a team of 42 staff dealing with applications as efficiently as possible.
Customers can apply for back to school clothing and footwear allowance online on www.mywelfare.ie. To apply online, customers must have a Public Services Card and a verified MyGovID account.
If customers do not have a verified MyGovID account, they should contact the back to school clothing and footwear allowance section on 071 9193318 or 0818 11 11 13, where an officer can verify their account. Customers who do not have a Public Services Card or who cannot apply online can submit an application form. Application forms are only available by contacting the back to school clothing and footwear allowance section.
The closing date for receipt of applications for this years back to school clothing and footwear allowance is 30 September 2020.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
