Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

1424. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of applicants in receipt of foster care allowance qualified for back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance; and if the number is in keeping or different to the figures in his statement in June 2025 announcing their inclusion in the scheme. [47327/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

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, including the applicant must be in receipt of a weekly social protection payment or participating on an approved employment or training support scheme and the applicant’s household income must 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 and Higher-Level Education grants is not assessable. Rehabilitative employment (up to €165 per week) is also not assessable.

This year, I was really pleased to announce extending eligibility for the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance to children for whom Foster Care Allowance is being paid. It is expected some 2,300 children in foster care will now be eligible for the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance.

The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance scheme opened to applications on 9 June 2025. Up to close of business on Wednesday 3 September, Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance payments totalling €53.92m have issued to 140,900 families in respect of 249,594 qualified children including those for whom Foster Care Allowance is being paid.

The number of applicants in receipt of Foster Care Allowance who qualified for Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance is not available as the Department collates data based on the qualifying payment the applicant is in receipt of.

The scheme remains open to new applications on www.mywelfare.ie/ until 30 September 2025.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
Link to this: Individually | In context

1425. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated full-year cost of extending eligibility for the fuel allowance to all pensioners; to all in receipt of the working family payment and-or a medical card; the estimated full-year cost of abolishing the waiting period of a year for those on jobseeker’s allowance; the cost of increasing the rate by €20 per week; and of extending the payment period to 32 weeks. [47333/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

My Department does not hold data on persons in receipt of a medical card and is therefore unable to provide a costing for the extension of Fuel Allowance to this cohort.

There are approximately 740,218 pensioners in receipt of qualifying payments for Fuel Allowance.  Of these, 220,429 are already in receipt of Fuel Allowance.  This would give an additional 519,789 Fuel Allowance claims if the payment was awarded to all pensioners in receipt of a qualifying payment for Fuel Allowance.  The estimated cost of extending eligibility for the Fuel Allowance to all pensioners in receipt of a qualifying payment is as follows: