Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I ask for a debate with the Minister for Social Protection on the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance, which is a really important provision for people on social welfare and working people on very low incomes. The challenge we have had over the past year is that the increase in the cost of living means everyone is struggling significantly. We need to get to a point where the scheme, which is available for a certain number of people in the country, is expanded further. The Minister has done a lot in expanding schemes in other areas and this is one that needs to be prioritised. We are in a situation now in which large numbers of working parents are going into debt to send their children to school. A survey last year showed it costs approximately €1,500 to get a secondary student ready for the start of the school year. That is just for one child. It is a very costly time of year for parents and the extension of the allowance is something that needs to be considered.In this time of rising inflation and a high cost of living, we should consider expanding that further for parents.

There will be special meeting of Tipperary County Council on the issue of housing today. Similar meetings are happening across the country. I presume the same will happen in the Leader's constituency in Mayo. Sinn Féin has put forward this initiative. It has asked all councils to have special meetings. It is another waste of time. The irony in Tipperary is that the five names that have been put down, which comprise two Sinn Féin members and three other members of Tipperary County Council, are the names of those who object to housing most frequently. What those councils are doing is bringing everyone who works in the housing department in to talk to them about housing for the day, which means that no one in Tipperary is going to receive any housing from the housing department because all the staff have to go to discuss the problems with housing and be answerable to the people who are causing the problems. We talk about housing in the two Chambers in Leinster House. Councillors are on the ground and working for people, trying their best to help. Having political stunts up here is one thing but imposing them on councillors in all councils around the country is another. It is an utter waste of time.