Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am pleased to have the opportunity to address the House on the issue of back-to-school costs. The Government will not oppose the motion. In a short while, I will attend the graduation ceremony for 100 migrant teachers who are graduating from the bridging programme in Marino Institute of Education. I express my gratitude to the speakers here who have facilitated my attendance at what is a great occasion of celebration for those graduates.

I express my gratitude for their graciousness.

I am conscious of the significant pressures that can face families and their budgets. From speaking with parents in schools around the country and in my home constituency, I know the return to school in September can bring particular pressure, especially, as many parents and guardians highlight to me, when a family is preparing to send more than one child back to school or college. Parents and guardians will always want to do the very best for their children and young people, especially when it comes to their children accessing education and the opportunity it offers. I am conscious that, as a Government, we must do everything possible to support them. It is for this reason I have introduced both universal and targeted measures to help parents and families with the cost of education, including the introduction of a landmark free schoolbook scheme for all primary school children, the reduction of school transport fees and increased capitation payments. It is our ambition in government to support a child through every milestone and to support families as they journey together.

I will reflect on all that has been achieved in this regard. When a child enrols in a primary school, they will now be provided with all the books and other resources they need to learn and thrive free of charge. Aside from cost, it is one less headache for parents and guardians. They can expect to go into a colourful and exciting classroom in which the pupil-teacher ratio is the lowest it has ever been, meaning they can benefit from the best possible experience with their teacher. In the case of over 200,000 children, they can expect a free school meal and we have ambitions to expand this programme even further. If they are among the tens of thousands of children who use the school transport service, their ticket costs far less than it did before this Government came into being. We have ambitions to do more in coming years and budgets but this is a remarkable change to have made in little over three years.

One of the most important measures in this regard has been the establishment of a free schoolbook scheme in all primary schools across the country. This new scheme will benefit over 588,000 pupils in 3,230 primary schools, including over 130 special schools. This is an historic moment and one which helps us to live up to the promise of free education. The scheme is supported by Government funding of over €53 million, which has been issued to all schools to purchase all schoolbooks, workbooks and copybooks for their students. Together with other Government measures, the scheme will make a huge difference to parents’ wallets and stress levels. It is an initiative I look forward to seeing advance in the coming years. The scheme adds to the measures which the Government has progressed in the area of social protection, including a bonus payment of €100 for all recipients of child benefit payments, an enhanced payment of the clothing and footwear allowance and the significantly expanded provision of free school meals from September 2023.

I know from speaking with families that requests for voluntary contributions can place an additional burden. I want to be clear: where a voluntary contribution is requested, it must be made clear that there is no obligation on parents to pay it under section 64 of the Education Act, added to by the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018. I know that most schools take this very seriously.

I also know that schools must be funded to meet their running costs. This year alone, schools have received an additional payment of €90 million to meet any cost-of-living pressures. This is in addition to standard capitation funding and ancillary payments. These payments have been increased in recent budgets and it is our intention to seek further increases in future budgets as resources allow. For the September 2023-24 school year, the Government has reduced the charge payable to access the school transport scheme. The charge will be €50 per pupil at primary school and €75 per pupil at post-primary, with a family cap of €125. This is a significant reduction relative to the previous family cap of €525. Eligible children holding valid medical cards or with special educational needs will remain exempt from paying the annual charge. I know from my engagement with families that the value of the school transport scheme cannot be overstated. In addition to helping parents to manage the myriad of pick-ups and drop-offs that are part of any family, the scheme provides great value for money and has positive impacts for the environment. Last year, more than 131,000 tickets were issued for mainstream services under the scheme and we look forward to an equally successful scheme in the coming school year.

I restate my complete commitment to supporting parents and guardians and minimising costs for families. Significant progress has been made under this Government and I look forward to continuing the work with all Government colleagues to achieve this further.

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