Séamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this important subject for the Topical Issue Debate.

This is the second year in a row in which parents are facing a school year having to buy unnecessary and expensive new editions of textbooks, despite repeated promises from the Minister that he would prioritise this issue. The Minister announced this time last year that he had received a commitment from eight book publishers that they would sign up to a code of practice on revised editions. It was promised that there would be no new editions produced unless there had been significant changes to the curriculum.

Implementation of the code of practice means there will be no revisions to existing textbooks for four years unless there are changes required because of curriculum or examinations changes. Old editions are to be kept in print for two years, unless annual sales fall below 500 copies. This means, in future, a new edition of a textbook will be available for a minimum of six years. Publishers also confirmed that revisions to textbooks will be available online. Why has the code not been adhered to? Since the meeting in October 2011, has the Minister examined this issue, and has he made further changes?

This year, parents are again under considerable financial strain as they must buy new editions despite there being only minor changes to the textbooks. A number of constituents contacted me on this issue, and they are downright worried and scared about the cost of school books for the coming year. In some cases, it is almost impossible to see what the changes are in the revised editions. The book publishers in question are failing to abide by the code of practice agreed to last year. The Minister must take action on this issue. While book rental schemes are very important and it is right that publishers offer discounts to schools that buy in bulk under the schemes, we still need to stop publishers from getting away with bringing out unnecessary new editions of textbooks each year.

In February, the Minister for Education and Skills answered a parliamentary question on the book rental and loan schemes from our education spokesperson, Deputy Brendan Smith. I welcome these schemes, but this is not good enough. We need to go further and ensure the publishers do not get away with publishing revised editions when there is clearly no change in these books.

What are the views of the Minister of State on the introduction of pilot schemes within schools for the use of Android tablets as an alternative to traditional books? As we are moving increasingly to a digital age and the Government has highlighted the importance of innovation and IT, what measures has the Minister brought in to streamline this method, and in comparison with cost and cost-effectiveness, is this the way forward over traditional types of learning?

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