Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)

I move amendment No. 19:

In page 6, between lines 20 and 21, to insert the following:

5.—The Minister shall, within three months of the commencement of this Act, lay before each House of the Oireachtas, a report on the number of eligible persons and proportion thereof availing of the Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance, among low income families.

I made two points. First, the Minister stated in response to me on Committee Stage that he would examine the possibility of making this payment more automatic or would see if it is in any way practical to do that and save the existing application process. The second point relates to the amount given to the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance. The overall cost on a parent whose child is going back to school is quite significant and, indeed, it does not end in September.

The cost of education has risen over the past number of years, especially with so-called voluntary contributions which now arise. I am not necessarily asking the Minister to fund a system that the Department of Education and Science should be funding, but the reality according to recent reports in the media is that there are families who are put in the position where they are unable to make payments, which other children's parents are in a position to make, that are being imposed by the school. Perhaps that is a matter in the context of the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance that the Minister might discuss with his colleague in the Department of Education and Science. Aside from that, there are significant costs such as transport, stationary and lunches. I ask the Minister — it cannot happen in the context of this Bill — in the context of next year to give particular attention to this area.

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