Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Maloney for raising this issue and I welcome the opportunity to clarify the position on the matter raised.

The Minister and I are very conscious that the cost of textbooks is a considerable burden on families. Textbooks are a very important way in which students can be supported in their learning and the range and quality of textbooks has increased in recent years.

Since taking up office, the Minister has attempted to take steps to reduce the burden on families. The Minister has met with members of the Irish Educational Publishers' Association and impressed on them the need to limit the cost of textbooks and to avoid placing schools and families in a position where textbooks are altered unnecessarily. The association responded positively to the Minister's approaches and agreed a voluntary code of practice among members. The code commits the publishers to limit the publication of new editions and to maintaining editions of books in print unchanged for at least six years. The publishers have also given assurances that they will sell textbooks to schools at substantial discounts so that schools can purchase textbooks in bulk to stock textbook rental schemes. All these developments are welcome.

The Minister launched guidelines for developing textbook rental schemes in schools last January. The guidelines provide practical advice to schools on how rental schemes can be established and operated. The aim of the guidelines is to help as many schools as possible to start book rental programmes. The publication of the guidelines follows a survey of schools by the Department last year. This had a 99% response rate at primary level, and showed that 76% of primary schools operate a book rental scheme. At second level, the response rate was lower, at 44%. Of those who responded, 88% of those in the VEC sector and 73% of those in the community and comprehensive sector operated book rental schemes. These results show that we have a good foundation to build on across the country.

I hope that schools that are not yet operating book rental schemes will be encouraged to use the guidelines to introduce them. Schools which already have rental schemes can save parents up to 80% of the cost of buying new books. A special guide for parents has also been published to inform them of how the schemes operate and how parents can help schools to establish and run them. The Minister has been very clear in his support for book rental schemes.

The Minister has protected the budget for school book grants at €15 million over the past two years, despite economic pressures. He has consulted widely on the guidelines including working closely with the National Parents' Council at primary and post-primary levels, the Society of St Vincent De Paul and Barnardos to discuss ways of reducing the costs for parents.

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