Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)

I move amendment No. 22:

In page 13, between lines 29 and 30, to insert the following:

"(2) The Minister shall, within 3 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.".

I have put down this amendment because of the financial difficulties being faced by families, particularly when children are returning to school. More people have been brought in under the scheme this year but according to surveys done by various organisations, it is still inadequate in meeting the needs of the child.

Research carried out by Barnardos indicates that between €375 and €405 is required to fund basic costs of sending children back to school and there is a substantial shortfall for many families. This has not been helped by the decision on the school book scheme by the Department of Education and Science, which will put much pressure on families that are already hard-pressed.

Figures published by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in June, when it concentrated on back to school issues, and earlier this week show substantial increases in the number of people using the organisation, which is of real concern for everybody in the House. The matter must be examined and we should consider the adequacy of this scheme to see if it can meet the needs of people that it currently does not.

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