Charlie McConalogue TD has appealed to the Minister for Social Protection to ensure there are no delays in issuing back to school allowances for Donegal schoolchildren.
Parents across County Donegal will be informed by the end of this week if they are entitled to the Back to School Clothing & Footwear Allowance this year.
However many parents across Donegal were left waiting for a long time before they could get any allowance despite being legally entitled to it.
“Last year was the first year of a new automated system of Back to School Allowance payments.
“The system was riddled with delays and administrative problems last year, with tens of thousands of families waiting well into the school year for their applications to be processed.
“Many families in Co Donegal who depend on the payment to help them cope with the cost of the new school term were left in serious financial difficulty as a result.
“I am sincerely hoping that Minister Burton has addressed all of these problems and has taken steps to ensure that such large scale delays do not happen again this year.
“Anyone in Donegal who is unsure of their entitlements or needs help with an application form can contact my office,” said Deputy McConalogue
Parents will be notified by letter this week if they will automatically receive Back to School Allowance payments this summer. The rates are €150 for children between the age of 4 and 11 years and €250 for children between 12 and 22 years.
“Families who do not receive notification of an automatic payment by June 20th can fill out an application form, which will be processed at the centralised unit in Letterkenny,” revealed Deputy McConalogue.
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