Department apologises to families over delay in back-to-school allowance

The Department of Social Protection has apologised to families who are waiting on a Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance.

A delay in processing the payment has meant that some have had to wait longer to receive it at what is typically one of the most expensive times of the year for parents. The department has said its is currently receiving 500 new applications for the allowance every day and has asked recipients to bear with it as it works through the applications. Meanwhile, there has been an increase in the number of families seeking financial help with back-to-school costs, the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul has said. The charity has reported a 20 per cent rise in the numbers of calls to two of its offices around the country compared to this time last year. It said it was expecting to receive 6,000 calls from parents by the end of the month. "August is the busiest month for school costs in SVP and calls continue to come in this week from worried parents," SVP Social Policy Officer Marcella Stakem told RTÉ News. "We know this time of year is stressful for most families as they try to meet the costs of uniforms, books and voluntary contributions, and that these costs bear most heavily on families with limited incomes."