Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I would also like to take this opportunity to reference the formidable Niamh Bhreathnach and I extend my sincere sympathy to her family. She was a trailblazer in education, as the Deputy has referenced. She was a phenomenal woman with extraordinary vision for education, particularly, as the Deputy has referenced, in the area of educational disadvantage. That included everything from the leaving certificate applied programme to transition year. It was an enormously wide scope and her background in education was always manifest. Her legacy speaks for itself and we are conscious in this committee of that enormous contribution. We extend sympathy to the Labour Party most especially and to her family.

On the issues the Deputy has raised, there has been a significant achievement in the availability of the free school books programme. We have engaged at a national level with booksellers, publishers and organisations like St. Vincent de Paul and Barnardos on the roll-out of the programme. I am conscious that the information on it needs to reach the schools at the earliest possible point and we are moving towards them having that information in advance of the Easter holidays. We are looking at ensuring schools retain the autonomy they currently have for the purchase of books. In other words, many schools have excellent relationships with local book providers and bookshops and they will retain the autonomy to continue that relationship.

I am conscious as well that this particular €50 million investment will be for the benefit of all students, which the Deputy specifically asked about. That is 540,000 pupils in 3,240 schools, and it is to be available to all students and for the benefit of all schools. It is important to say as well that we have had considerable learning from the pilot that was run in more than 100 of our schools, and equally so with the book rental scheme, which over 96% of our primary schools engaged in. The schools already have considerable experience there and they are proactively disposed to supporting students. It is for the benefit of all students and the detail will be with the schools, following the consultation with everybody involved, by the Easter holidays.

On school transport, I want to acknowledge that, as part of the cost-of-living measures, there was a waiving of fees that resulted in a 25% increase in the number of young people taking up places on school buses, and as an aside there was a 26% increase in special education school transport last year. The review, as I have already referenced to Deputy Nolan, is nearing completion. It is looking at all aspects of eligibility and at the opportunity for the maximum number of young people to avail of the school transport scheme. It is my expectation this will be completed in the coming weeks.

On the results date, I am conscious of the additional demands that have been placed on the State Examinations Commission, SEC, with our correct decision to have a second sitting of the leaving certificate. Equally so, the commitment we gave on the grade profile of previous years was another considerable additional ask being placed on the SEC. For that reason, having engaged with the SEC, its best estimate was the date that was achieved last year. I continue to engage with it and it is reviewing last year's structures, especially the availability of correctors, who are essential to the process. It has done a considerable body of work in that regard. We are recruiting for the oral examinations and all of that and that is going quite well. The SEC will be doing all it can to ensure the results, while maintaining the integrity of the exam, will be issued as early as possible. At this point it is not possible for it to give the date. It is a matter for the SEC but I have engaged directly with it on that.

On the counselling in primary schools, as the Deputy is aware that is a €5 million investment. The-----