Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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238. To ask the Minister for Social Protection her views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding the back to school allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18312/15]

Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The back to school clothing and footwear allowance (BSCFA) scheme is a non-statutory scheme which provides a once-off payment to eligible families to assist with the costs of school clothing and footwear when children start school each autumn. The Government has provided €44.3 million for the scheme in 2015.

BSCFA was paid in respect of approximately 304,400 children with a total expenditure of circa €42.5 million in 2014, in respect of approximately 324,000 children in 2013 at a cost of €48 million, and in respect of approximately 340,000 children in 2012 at a cost of €65.7 million.

In general, the allowance is payable in respect of eligible children between the ages of 4 and 17 in respect of whom a qualified child allowance is being paid and eligible children between the ages of 18 and 22 who are in full-time second level education and in respect of whom a qualified child allowance is being paid. To qualify for BSCFA a person must meet a number of conditions namely:

- The child must meet the age criteria,

- The applicant must be in receipt of a qualifying payment and getting an increase in that payment for the qualified child (except in certain circumstances),

- The assessable income for the household must be within prescribed limits,

- The applicant and the child (or children) in respect of whom the allowance is claimed must be resident in the State.

In recent years payments of BSCFA have been automated to a substantial number of qualified persons who are not required to apply for the payment. In 2014, over 112,800 (68%) of payments were processed through the automated process. Similar arrangements will be in place for the 2015 scheme. Customers who do not receive notification of an automated payment are required to complete an application form which will be available by mid-June 2015.