Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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650. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the cost of removing the means-test for the back to school clothing and footwear allowance for all children and young people in State care, including those in foster care. [39262/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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This Government acknowledges the important role that carers, including foster carers, play and remains fully committed to supporting them. That is why I was really pleased to announce that Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance eligibility is being extended to include children for whom Foster Care Allowance is being paid.

The Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance scheme 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. The scheme operates from June to September each year.

In order to qualify for Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance, an applicant must satisfy a number of qualifying conditions, one of which requires the applicant’s household income to be within the relevant income limits. The income limits for the scheme are increased annually as part of the budget process.

The Weekly Household Income Limits for 2025 are:

The household income includes weekly social protection payments, gross income from employment, minus employees PRSI and a €20 travel allowance and any other income the household may have.

Any income from Foster Care Allowance, Working Family Payment, Child Benefit, Rent Supplement, Back to Work Family Dividend, Guardian’s Payments, Domiciliary Care Allowance, Blind Welfare Allowance, Higher Level Education grants is not assessable. Rehabilitative employment (up to €165 per week) is also not assessable.

It is expected some 2,300 children in foster care will now be eligible for the Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance and I encourage foster care families to apply for the allowance. The Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance is not payable in respect of children in state residential or special care settings.

The full-year cost of removing the income test for Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance in respect of children for whom foster care allowance is being paid is estimated to be €1,046,000.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.