Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 October 2006
267 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason a person (details supplied) in County Cork has been refused the back to school allowance despite the fact that they received it in 2005 but was refused it both initially and on appeal. [33608/06]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe back to school clothing and footwear allowance (BSCFA) Scheme is administered on behalf of my Department by the Community Welfare division of the Health Service Executive.
A person may qualify for payment of a back to school clothing and footwear allowance if he or she is in receipt of a social welfare or health service executive payment, is participating in an approved employment scheme or attending a recognised education or training course, and has household income at or below certain specified levels. The weekly income limit appropriate to a couple with four children in 2006 is EUR 499.30.
The Health Service Executive has advised that it has disallowed an application by the person concerned as her household income was above the prescribed EUR 499.30 limit for entitlement to the allowance.
The person concerned appealed this decision to the area appeals officer of the Executive in June 2006. The Executive has advised that the decision of the community welfare was upheld by the HSE Appeals Office in June 2006.
The person concerned was refused the back to school clothing and footwear allowance in 2005 also, again on the grounds that the household income was over the limit. The Health Service Executive has advised that, following that refusal of her BSCFA claim, it awarded her an exceptional needs payment under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme as a once off measure. It did so because her net income at that time, after paying her mortgage, was broadly in the range covered by the BSCFA scheme.
The position in 2006 is quite different as the household income now is very substantially over the income limit for BSCFA even after their mortgage repayment is taken into account. The HSE has concluded that the family income is sufficient to provide for school clothing requirements.
