Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

I am aware of the concern expressed by many parents and organisations, including the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, in relation to the high cost of school books and the frequent rate of revisions made by book publishers. I intend to meet with book publishers and representatives of parents in the near future to discuss this important issue in greater detail. I will see what role my Department can play in ensuring that revisions of books are kept to a minimum. Apart from a small number of prescribed texts at second level, mainly in the case of language subjects, decisions on textbooks are taken at school level so it may be necessary to encourage individual schools to take a more cost-conscious approach to the selection of books in their classes.

I sympathise with parents who are experiencing difficulty in paying for school books. The harsh economic reality in Ireland means money is tight for many parents. It is for that reason that I will continue to encourage schools to establish book rental schemes as the most effective means of lowering the cost of books for all students. Many schools are already using the funding for books provided by my Department to operate successful rental schemes.

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