Schemes to reduce expenditure for low-income families
Medical cards
Medical cards are issued by the Health Service Executive (HSE). Holders are entitled to a range of health services free of charge, including doctor visits, certain dental, ophthalmic (eye), and aural (ear) health services and hospital visits and they only need to pay a €2.50 charge per item dispensed on medical card prescriptions (up to a maximum charge of €25 per family per month). Parents or guardians of children with medical cards are also exempt from paying for state examination fees.
School Books Grant Scheme
This scheme is available in state primary and post-primary schools to help with the cost of school books. This scheme is mainly aimed at pupils from low-income families and families experiencing financial hardship. Funding comes from the Department of Education and Skills. Principals can use this funding to:
• establish a textbook rental scheme, whereby students can rent school books from the school each year for a small fee
• help individual students to buy books. Fuel Allowance
This allowance helps with the cost of heating homes during the winter months. Those eligible include people dependent on long-term social welfare payments and people who are unable to provide for their own heating needs. The fuel allowance is €22.50 per week and the scheme operates for 26 weeks from October to April.
Other schemes to reduce expenditure for low-income
families • Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance
è For information on the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance, the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) and the Mortgage Allowance Scheme see pages 509, 304 and 304.
Name and give details of one social welfare support/benefit paid to families with children. (9) OL
Name and give details of any one Government scheme that helps to reduce expenditure for low-income families. (10) OL
Name and give details of two government schemes that reduce expenditure for low- income families. (10) HL
