The Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance is a payment to assist with the costs of clothing and footwear only, when a child is returning to education. The allowance is payable at the rate of €160.00 in respect of children aged 2-11, and €285.00 in respect of children aged 12 and over and is a contribution to assist households with the costs of school clothing and footwear.
As the Deputy was advised previously, my Department does not have any plans to undertake an assessment of the average cost incurred by families in preparing a child to return to school against the value of the Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance. Other associated costs incurred by families when a child is returning to education is a matter for my colleague, Minister Hildegarde Naughton, Education and Youth , and the Department of Education and Youth.
Any changes to the Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance scheme would have cost implications and could only be considered in an overall budgetary context.
As with every annual Government Budget process, managing competing priorities with a finite budget allocation is a challenge. In my role as Minister for Social Protection, I am striving to ensure that Budget 2027 prioritises targeted supports to reduce poverty.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
