Struggling parents face eight-week delay for school aid [Independent.ie]
- Published: 05 September 2011
STRUGGLING families seeking financial help as their children head back to school face a wait of up to eight weeks.
More than 1,000 applications are continuing to flood into welfare offices each day -- long after pupils have already returned to classrooms across the country.
The Department of Social Protection confirmed it may be November before the current claims are processed due to the high volume of parents seeking aid.
Meanwhile, primary school teachers have been "turning a blind eye" to pupils coming in without a uniform.
A spokesman for the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) said a number of principals have noticed children returning without uniforms as their parents are under severe financial pressure.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
