Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)

I have consistently said that the 2009 budget required difficult choices to be made across all areas of public expenditure. These decisions were made to control public expenditure and to ensure sustainability in the long run. In this respect, education, while protected to a much greater extent than most other areas of public expenditure, could not be entirely spared. The changes made in regard to book grants were one aspect of these measures.

The Deputy refers to grants for school books for children with special needs. To clarify, there was no specific special needs aspect to the book grant paid to schools. The key change is that aid for school books is being restricted to schools that are included within the delivering equality of opportunity in schools, DEIS, scheme. By limiting the funding to schools within the DEIS scheme, savings of €7.5 million will be achieved. DEIS is the action plan for educational inclusion and focuses on addressing the educational needs of children and young people from disadvantaged communities.

Approximately €7 million was made available in 2008 to DEIS schools at primary and post-primary level for the school book grant scheme. The same level of provision has been made available for distribution to schools in the DEIS programme in 2009. The continuation of this provision is testament to the Government's determination to prioritise social inclusion and protect the most vulnerable in our society. We must focus targeted resources on the schools in most need. This is in line with the broad thrust of the recommendations of the Comptroller and Auditor General's 2006 report on primary disadvantage.

My Department has encouraged schools to implement book rental schemes as a measure to minimise the cost of school books to all parents. As far back as 1993, a report commissioned by my Department dealt with the factors which contribute to the cost of school textbooks. The report included useful suggestions for schools, including a code of good practice for the successful operation of book rental schemes. Many schools have developed such rental schemes. It is open to schools to utilise general capitation funding to fund book rental schemes.

Enhanced rates of capitation funding are paid in respect of children with special educational needs. The capitation rates for these children range from €512 to €986 per pupil, an increase of 59% from the rate in 2006. I have already said that I favour a reform of the grants system to one overall funding grant that allows schools to use the funding to meet the priorities they identify. I fully acknowledge that there are pressures on school funding generally and that it is difficult for schools to cover all competing priorities. However, we are in very difficult times.

By any standards there have been significant improvements in school funding within a relatively short period and the Government is committed to increasing funding further for schools as resources permit. The current state of the public finances and the widely acknowledged need for further cuts in public expenditure simply reinforce the imperatives that underpinned the decisions taken in October.

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