Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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400. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when the changes were made in relation to the income of a retained firefighter being used to calculate income for the back to school clothing and footwear allowance (details supplied); if this change is used for all applications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44444/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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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 clothing and footwear when children start or return to school each autumn.

In order to qualify for BSCFA, an applicant must satisfy a number of qualifying conditions, one of which requires the applicant’s household income to be within the income limits for that year’s scheme.

All income received from employment, including income earned as a retained firefighter, is assessable under the normal rules of this scheme.

There has been no change to the assessment of income earned as a retained firefighter for BSCFA.

I trust that this information clarifies the matter for the Deputy.