Eamonn Maloney (Dublin South West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

All Members will be familiar with the annual debate in May or June on the cost of school books and no doubt the coming summer it will be no different. This issue has been covered on the airwaves and in the press year after year, but there has been no resolution. Last June I received a telephone call from a parent who argued that we had the most expensive school books in Europe. I am not sure whether that is true and cannot make a judgment, as it is difficult to establish the truth.

There have been many Ministers for Education during the years, but none of them has ever dealt with this issue. However, yesterday, for the first time since the foundation of the State, the Minister for Education and Skills dealt with the fact that this was one of the few countries in Europe that did not have a school book rental scheme. He and the Department indicated that we would have the foundations for a universal school book rental scheme.

The cost of school books is a problem that does not affect people with plenty of money, but it presents a difficulty for families who do not have large incomes and parents on low or modest pay. I congratulate the Department, the Minister and the Minister of State on the introduction of this initiative yesterday. I congratulate them also on the fact that - this has gone practically unnoticed - they have managed to ringfence a sum of €15 million this year for the scheme.

With regard to the perception, true or otherwise, that we have the most expensive books, this is difficult to establish. I engaged in an exercise with the publishers and printers to establish the figures. However, it seems we have what one would call a cartel because the main publishers and printers are not limited by guarantee. Therefore, we have no access to the amount of money they make annually. The opposite is the case in our neighbouring jurisdiction and on mainland Europe. We are in a different position and companies have made significant moneys from the school book business. However, the Department has now made a start on introducing a proper universal book rental system.

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