Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Question 1: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to meet with school book publishers to discuss the fact that they are failing to abide by the code of practice on publishing unnecessary new editions of textbooks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31183/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I am very conscious that the cost of textbooks is a considerable burden on families. I have 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 agreed a voluntary code of practice among their members, which commits them to limiting the publication of new editions and to maintaining editions in print unchanged for at least six years. The publishers also gave assurances that they will sell textbooks to schools at substantial discounts so schools can purchase in bulk to stock textbook rental schemes.

If the Deputy has information that suggests that publishers are not abiding by the code, I invite him to provide me with it and I will take it up with the Irish Educational Publishers' Association.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I share the Minister's concerns about the substantial costs for households. It is an issue that arises at this time of the year. I welcome the fact that last October the Minister received a commitment from the book publishers that they would sign up to a code of practice in regard to revised editions. There have been complaints, some of which have been aired in the national media, that a new edition of the home economics book, Lifewise, has been published. The publishers say the book concerned was published six months prior to the adoption of the code of practice. Whether it was outside the time from when the code of practice was implemented, they should have abided by the spirit of the agreement that was made with the Minister and his Department. I hope the Minister will pursue this matter.

Another issue brought to my attention is the fact that a new edition of the English poetry book is published each year. I do not know if that is the case, but those complaints have been made to me and this is the proper forum to air these concerns.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I thank the Deputy for bringing this matter before the House. With regard to the home economics curriculum, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA, last changed it in 1994. The first edition of Lifewise was published in 2006 and a second edition is being published in 2012. The code of practice provides for no revisions to existing textbooks for four years unless changes are required by the curriculum or due to examination changes. There has been a six year gap in this case between revisions. The first edition is still available to purchase online, as at 25 June last. The code of practice states that old editions will be kept in print for two years unless annual sales fall below 500 copies. It appears that this part of the code of practice is being complied with. It is valid to ask why schools are opting for the new book when there is no compulsion to do so. Schools must take leadership on this issue as well.

As regards the second matter raised by the Deputy, I do not have information to hand. If he has further information on it, I will be happy to receive it.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister has correctly spoken about the value of the book rental schemes. The more of those that are in use and the more leadership given by schools on this issue, the better.

There is another practical problem. It is difficult for parents or pupils to sell on books. In many cases, compact discs, CDs, are provided along with the language books and in many instances workbooks are part of the textbook. From a practical point of view, it is not possible to sell such books. That is a matter that could be addressed as well because it is a matter of concern. A number of parents, who have a number of children who have gone through second level, raised it with me.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I agree with the Deputy on the last matter. Where a workbook and a textbook are integrated into a single document it should not be beyond the boundaries of imagination to construct a disposable workbook alongside the textbook. The textbook would remain valid and each year a cheaper, castaway workbook could be run in tandem with it. It is, in effect, built-in obsolescence to have a workbook which, if read by a student for one year, is considered to be interfered with and cannot be readily used by anybody else.