Report on back-to-school costs must be a 'wake-up call' for government – Kildare TD

Sinn Féin TD for North Kildare, Réada Cronin, has said the latest report from Barnardos, which highlights the pressure on parents to cover back-to-school costs, lays bare the need for a cost-of-living package in this year’s budget. 

Deputy Cronin said the report must act as a “wakeup call for government” which she said remains “oblivious to the huge stress and hardship facing workers and families across the State.”

Deputy Cronin said: “This report from Barnardos yet again lays bare the need for a cost-of-living package in this year’s budget.  

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“The report outlines that back-to-schools costs often reach up to €1,100 for secondary school and €725 for primary school students. Families in my constituency are already struggling to keep their heads above water as the cost-of-living crisis continues to spiral out of control, people simply cannot afford this annual financial blow.”

According to Deputy Cronin, many concerned parents have visited her constituency office over the last few weeks anxious about properly equipping their children for the new school year.

The Sinn Féin Deputy said parents are telling her it is getting more and more expensive each year and that they don’t know how they are going to pay for uniforms, contributions and schoolbooks.

She pointed out that an alarming 27% of secondary and 14% of primary school parents said they had to use savings to fund back-to-school costs, while 15% and 8% respectively had to take out a loan or borrow from family and friends.

She said: “I hear this weekly from parents. They often refuse to pay one essential bill like electricity, gas, or cut down on spending on essentials in the supermarket to pay for school items.

“This is a shocking indictment on a country that is one of the richest in the world. This is our children’s education we are talking about here – a basic human right.

“It does not have to be this way.  At a time when the state has record surpluses of €23.7 billion, to have families being pushed to the brink to cover basic back-to-school costs is scandalous.”

She added: “This government has the resources to ensure that families are not left in situations like this.  But they are ignoring the stress and hardship so many are experiencing and pretending that the cost-of-living crisis is over.

“Sinn Féin has a plan to make back-to-school costs more affordable. We would put money back in your pocket with a double child benefit payment in September and by doubling the clothing and footwear allowance.”

“Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael need to get their heads out of the sand and wake up to the realities that people are facing.  The cost-of-living crisis has not gone away.

“The government must come to its senses and commit to a cost-of-living package in this year’s budget.”