Mr. Philip O'Callaghan:

I will address some of the other issues raised. Deputy Brendan Ryan mentioned the digital divide. Last year, approximately 50 schools had iPads for first year students and the view is that this number will increase significantly in the coming years. The feedback many schools are receiving is that if students are to have an iPad, people do not want the added expense of buying hard copies of books, journals, etc. What Schoolbag does is digitise some of the resources that have been used thus far in hard copy. As Deputy Jonathan O'Brien suggested, homework can be accessed online, including by students who are off school for reasons such as sickness.

In terms of employees, Schoolbag was taken over by the Peak Learning company earlier in the week. Peak Learning has between ten and 12 full-time employees and a number of seasonal staff. We have been working in education for approximately ten years under a number of divisions, including the mock examination area. We see great scope for synergy in the first schools division and are focusing on the provision of hard copy student journals in that area. As schools go digital in the years ahead, they will require a digital solution. The way in which schools can process data is an issue of great significance. If students have information written in hard copy books and there is no centralised means of accessing this data, it is difficult for principals, form teachers and so forth to intervene at an early stage if an issue arises. With the type of system we provide, which offers parental access and so on, early intervention becomes much easier if there is an issue.

As we indicated, approximately 20 schools are using the system, essentially on a pilot basis. On the fees charge, to date, none of the schools in question has been charged for our service, although that model will obviously change. The reason we have engaged with Schoolbag is our belief that it offers enormous potential. The market will decide whether I am correct.

Deputy Anthony Lawlor suggested the most expensive part of the entire process is e-books. If one looks forward, the nature of the e-book will change. It currently comes in standard book form, perhaps in a PDF format with some additional resources. The new junior certificate curriculum will offer many short courses. What one will probably find is that there will be many more teacher-generated resources and much more sharing of these resources. The nature of learning on the Internet is different from the nature of learning from a hard copybook in that it is a more interactive experience. We will find that the types of resources being used in schools will change over time.

Obviously the e-book is expensive and there is no secondhand market for an e-book. That adds significantly to the cost, or at least to the whole cost of ownership but over time that will change. Are there any other questions that I have missed?