Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

On the issue of the posts of responsibility, as part of the budget 2024 process, 1,000 additional posts of responsibility will be made available.

That is a positive and a win for schools. If we believe in distributed leadership, we must provide opportunities for it.

Regarding the master's in education, Building Momentum has provided a sectoral bargaining process to deal with outstanding claims. The teaching unions decided to use this fund to settle certain claims, including the restoration of the professional master's in education allowance to new entrant teachers and increases in principal allowances in the primary sector. Other initiatives in the budget include supports for young teachers, for example, €2,000 for the holders of professional master's in education, PME, degrees on completion of their first year in work.

Regarding ICT grants, there was a double allocation over two years, amounting to €200 million. I have been clear that the ICT grants for the 2023-24 school year will also be paid. Perhaps because the money came in a double tranche, there was not an acknowledgement of it to the fullest extent, but it was paid on the double. It is important to make that point. Notwithstanding that, I accept that schools expected an earlier allocation for the 2023-24 school year. I have committed that it will be paid in the 2023-24 school year.

I appreciate the Deputy’s positivity as regards schoolbooks. He raised a point about the impact on retailers. We in the Department were clear that every opportunity would be given to local retailers. Where a local school had an existing relationship with a local provider or wanted to develop one, it had the opportunity to do so. From my experience, many schools have relationships with their local providers because of the book rental schemes, which operated well in our schools, particularly at primary level. For many, they just continued those relationships, but I was clear that this autonomy should be given to them.

Did the Deputy raise another point about schoolbooks and value for money?