Mr. Fergus Finlay:

The Deputy raised the issue of child hunger and I am not sure what to say about that. I think it is a scandal that any society would stand over a situation where children are hungry in school. It is utterly and completely counter-productive in terms of education. Children who consistently go to school hungry are most at risk of dropping out. If we are not prepared to invest the tuppence ha'penny that it costs to ensure children have adequate nourishment at school, we are just trailing as a society.

Where schoolbooks are concerned, we made a detailed submission earlier to another committee of this House. We share very similar views to the Deputy. As he correctly says, the State makes an investment every year of approximately €15 million. We proposed a mechanism whereby, over three or four years, that investment - not necessarily increased but properly managed - could stock every school with the core books which could then be available to children when they arrive in school, free of charge or at the most nominal rent possible. The Minister for Education and Skills must say to schools that if they do not show common sense about issues such as schoolbooks and school uniforms, he will regulate to make them show common sense. We have seen that the Department is prepared to do it for school enrolment policies and I do not understand, frankly, why it is not doing it for something as basic as books and uniforms. It would not cost the State a red cent to do that. It makes no sense to me that it is not prepared to do that.