asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state why there is such a delay in supplying children's footwear under the free and subsidised footwear scheme, as merchants in the western counties, who have held vouchers since November last, cannot exchange them for boots and shoes.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Free Footwear Scheme.
As the footwear distributed under the schemes forms part of the retailer's ordinary quota, it has to be distributed through the normal trade channels; when the Public Assistance Footwear Scheme was introduced, public notice to this effect was given to retailers of boots and shoes. It was intimated that individual retailers who desired to participate in the scheme should apply to their ordinary suppliers for stocks of official footwear. Retailers were also urged to consult the local officers of the public assistance authority, so as to relate their orders for official footwear to the estimated local requirements under the scheme. My Department has no control of distribution of official footwear; but in order that distribution may be related as nearly as possible to the allocations, by the Department, of footwear vouchers, notice of the allocations to the various public assistance authorities is given to the trade bodies concerned. So far as the western counties are concerned, their requirements as submitted by the local authorities have been fully met by these allocations. The only complaints of shortages received in my Department from these counties have been from a trader in Galway, and from Leitrim Public Assistance Authority. In the case of the complaint from Galway the trader claimed that there was a surplus in East Galway County.