This year has seen fewer low-income families being given grants to help with the costs associated with going back to school.

Just over €47 million has been paid out by the Department of Social Protection under the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance, with 174,000 families benefiting from the payments, the Irish Examiner reports.

Claims made through the initiative - which formally closed at the end of September - are still being processed, yet the number recorded stands at around seven per cent fewer than the 187,000-plus reported in 2012.

The scheme's rates have also been cut by €50 per child this year, which means the last two years have seen amounts given to children aged 11 and under being reduced from €200 to €100, while pupils in second-level education are receiving €200 instead of the previous €305. 

These grants are designed to lend a helping hand to parents who might otherwise struggle to pay for school uniforms and shoes in in autumn. 

Written by Donal Walsh

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