Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing a debate on this issue and I am glad to share time with our spokesperson, Deputy Charlie McConalogue. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Ring, for coming into the Chamber to deal with it.

I hope he will look favourably on the issue we are raising. I welcome the launch of the guidelines for developing textbook rental schemes in schools and I know these guidelines provide practical advice to primary and post-primary schools in how to establish and operate a rental scheme. My main query is why a school with a limited or very basic book rental scheme would not qualify under this scheme.

The Minister has told us that 76% of primary schools operate a book rental scheme and many of these schools would like to have resources to expand but this process does not allow that to happen. We all know how expensive textbooks can be and that puts financial pressure on many families at the start of the school year. The Minister should do more than just commend schools that have already established a school book rental scheme, as there is talk of investing €15 million to support the scheme, with an initial €5 million per annum over three years. Some funding should be made available to schools seeking improvement in the scheme, as it would show recognition for the amount of work involved in a book rental scheme. Parents have been involved in establishing and upgrading the schemes, and there are guidelines for the involvement of parents.

Parents have indicated that they have saved up to 80% of the cost of buying new books by setting up a book rental scheme. If the Minister believes in the guidelines and the scheme, he should show flexibility in its operation. I support him in the priority given to literacy and numeracy but we do not even currently have new funding for the school library scheme, so book stocks are falling. I hope we will not make the same mistake with the school book rental scheme, as schools wish to make improvements. I hope the Minister of State, Deputy Ring, will bring back that message to the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Quinn, and show some recognition for the schools which have, on their own initiative, set up a book rental scheme.

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