Donegal TDs have urged the government to back the Sinn Féin party’s plan to cut back-to-school costs.
Sinn Féin TDs for Donegal, Deputy Pearse Doherty and Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn, have helped come up with a plan which contains a package of measures launched today to ensure families get a much-needed break from the cost of living crisis.
Their aim is to cut spiralling back-to-school costs such as the price of voluntary contributions, school books, uniforms and transport.
The measures would be delivered through an additional investment of €161 million.
Speaking today, Deputy Mac Lochlainn said: “Many families in Donegal will be finding the cost of sending children back to school particularly difficult to deal with this year given the cost-of-living crisis.
“Sinn Féin have launched a plan to ensure families get a much-needed break from rising costs by cutting back-to-school expenses.
“Our plan sets out how this can be delivered. We would deliver the Back to School allowance to 500,000 additional children and increase the Back to School allowance by 50% for those who already get it. This would increase supports from €160 to €240 for parents with a child aged 4-11 and from €285 to €427.50 for children from the age of 12 up.
“Sinn Féin would also work towards a fully free schoolbook scheme.
“We also set out how we would eliminate fees in the school transport system on a phased basis and provide seats for an additional 10,000 children.
“We would enact Sinn Féin’s Affordable School Uniforms Bill straight away alongside our Bill to abolish voluntary contributions, which can put families under pressure to pay hundreds of Euros.”
Speaking in the Dáil, Deputy Doherty also stated:
“No parent should dread their child’s return to school but that’s what’s happening in so many households.
“A child’s education should be a cherished right but for so many families the price of education is a cause of concern, a cause of anxiety and that is simply wrong.
“This week we heard from staff at Barnardos and they described families buying their children pyjamas to wear in the daytime because it was the cheapest option – the only option that they could afford. For a republic that was to be established on the basis of cherishing all of the children of the nation equally, this is the grim reality of Ireland today”.
