Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 9 Nov 1999

Vol. 510 No. 3

Written Answers. - Family Support Services.

Liz McManus

Ceist:

344 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the need for flexibility in applying eligibility limits to the children's back to school clothing and footwear scheme; his views on the need for resolution of those cases where income is only very marginally above the eligibility limit, such as in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Wicklow where a limit of £210.30 is exceeded by £4.30 with the application being refused on this basis; his views on whether this appeal should be heard and the original decision revoked; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22720/99]

Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs (Mr. D. Ahern)

The back to school clothing and footwear allowance scheme is administered on behalf of my Department by the health boards. The scheme is designed to assist certain recipients of social welfare and health board payments with the cost of children's school uniforms and footwear. Certain people on low incomes who are in receipt of family income supplement may also qualify for assistance.

The scheme is administered on behalf of my Department by the health boards and my Department has no function in deciding entitlement in individual cases.

In order to qualify for the allowance, the applicant must be in receipt of a qualifying payment and must satisfy a means test.

The income limits for the allowance are based on social welfare payments and are automatically raised each year in line with the budgetary increases in those payments. Where the income of a household exceeds these limits, the back to school clothing and footwear allowance is not payable because this payment is targeted at those on the lowest incomes.

The income limit for a couple with four children is £210.30. The person concerned has a total weekly income of a little over £276, derived from earnings of £214.60 plus £56 family income supplement. While family income supplement is disregarded as means for the purposes of this scheme, the person concerned still does not satisfy the means test for receipt of the back to school clothing and footwear allowance.

It is open for the individual in question to appeal the decision to the appeals officer in the Eastern Health Board. An appeal form has been forwarded to the person by the community welfare officer.

A review of the back to school clothing and footwear scheme has recently commenced as part of my Department's series of programme expenditure evaluations. The suggestion that the rules of the scheme be amended to enable payments to be made to people marginally above the income limits will be examined in that context. Any change in the means test would, of course, have cost implications and could only be considered in a budgetary context.