MORE THAN 27,000 more applications for the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance have been paid out by the Health Service Executive so far this year compared with the 2008 payment, according to new figures.
The surge of more than 20 per cent in applications for the allowance this year is further evidence of the effects of the economic downturn.
The HSE, which administers the grants scheme to help families under certain income limits meet the cost of school uniforms and footwear for children returning to school, said yesterday 129,860 claims for the allowance had been paid out by it up to October 2nd this year.
It added that a further 17,000 applications still had to be processed. In many of these, it said, it was awaiting further details and documentation from the applicants. It said in some areas, applications for the allowance were dealt with within one to three weeks where application forms were completed correctly, but in Cork and Kerry, due to a huge increase in applications there, the processing time was five to six weeks.
Applications for the allowance had to be lodged between June 1st and September 30th.
This year, about 150,000 applications for the allowance have been lodged with the HSE compared with 117,057 last year, 100,834 in 2007 and 87,394 in 2006.
The HSE said €47.5 million was paid under the scheme last year and it had a budget of €68 million for the scheme this year.