Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

It is welcome that the Minister has recognised the enormous cost of school books and I accept that the scheme is an attempt to address the issue. However, he recognises that it is unfair and, as has been noted both on this side of the House and his back benches, the issue needs to be examined further. When he examines the figures, I think he will find that some of the schools which were under the least pressure to introduce schemes because of their affluence or other reasons were able to use voluntary fund-raising efforts to introduce other measures which put them at an advantage. These will be the beneficiaries of the scheme. Has he considered making the system mandatory? How does he think iPads and the move away from written books will impact on schemes?

In Lusk, parents of pupils in the secondary school are being asked for €700 for an iPad system, which is obviously cheaper in the long run. Could the Minister consider including e-books and such technology as part of his review of the book rental scheme? Schools are moving in that direction, but it is enormously costly, particularly at the inception.

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