Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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8. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide proper high speed broadband funding for primary schools. [45101/14]

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Is this the question on broadband?

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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Yes, this is on broadband.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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The Deputy can press replay.

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Now I know how the Minister feels. I ask the Minister to provide proper funding for high-speed broadband in primary schools. I will leave it at that.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I appreciate that quality internet connectivity is essential for good teaching and learning using ICT. While great progress has been made at post-primary level, where every school will shortly have a high-speed connection, I am aware that improvement at primary level is slower and is dependent upon market and technological developments.

Under the schools broadband access programme, my Department provides for the supply of internet connectivity for all recognised primary schools. A new framework involving more providers was put in place in 2012, which will ensure improved solutions are available to schools. In the context of the forthcoming digital strategy for schools, improved connectivity for primary schools will be a priority. In this regard, my Department will collaborate with the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources to provide enhanced broadband services.

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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I welcome the Minister's response because something must be done regarding broadband for primary schools. There are many talented young teachers with great IT skills and a huge number of children are computer literate so the country has a great future in this regard. In the past nine or ten years this has been evident in how young people go on to set up businesses that are important in developing the new Irish economy.

Technology in primary schools for children with special needs is often overlooked. Radical developments have taken place in this area and children with major disabilities find that IT-related services can change their lives.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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To give some technical information, the Department is in the process of migrating around 200 schools to next-generation access services that provide minimum download speeds of at least 30 Mbps and up to 100 Mbps, depending on school locations. Speeds are slower in other schools and I acknowledge this. As I said, the strategy will be published shortly. I have seen wonderful things in primary schools; some children can write computer programmes using Scratch, a method of making films and the like. This is all very well when schools have high-speed broadband so we want to roll out the service - it will be fully rolled-out for post-primary schools by the end of this year.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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What negotiations has the Minister had with her colleague, the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Alex White, following his announcement during the week regarding the roll-out of broadband in areas of the country that will not be serviced by private operators?

The Minister indicated that 200 primary schools will receive higher speed broadband in the near future, but that is less than 10% of all primary schools. Looking at the plan of the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Alex White, it is clear that many primary schools will be waiting until 2020 to receive any serious level of broadband connectivity. Unless we see a serious strategy over and above what he proposes, we will see primary schools unable to avail of the educational opportunities that would be there with broadband.

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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Class sizes have increased over the last number of years, not just in urban areas but in rural schools also. Has any progress been made to move from a paper-based system in schools to tablets? Some schools are very innovative in regard to that. This matter is more important than broadband as the software can be downloaded onto the tablets in advance of class. The great advantage of tablets is that an academically very bright pupil can proceed ahead in class because the technology allows that. Children who are a bit slower can have the advantage of going at a slower pace rather than to have everyone in the class working at a uniform rate. It can be a huge advantage as a tool for teachers as tablets can facilitate children progressing at different paces. Has the Department made a definitive decision to progress the roll-out of tablets as an education and teaching aid?

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I wish to advise Deputy Charlie McConalogue that I will meet the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Alex White, in the next week or two to engage on these issues. Approximately 3.5% of primary schools are still on connections of less than 2 MB, of which approximately half are awaiting the installation of improved services of 8 MB or higher. The other half are the subject of current tenders under the framework. More than 80% of primary school projects will be put out to tender in the first half of 2015 as their current contracts expire. It is expected that this will lead to improved services. We are moving on this albeit I acknowledge that there are schools, particularly in isolated areas and certain parts of the country, where speeds are not as good as they should be.

I note to Deputy Naughten that I would be very encouraging of schools, but we must give them the high speed connections and the resources. We are doing that. I acknowledge that progress has been much better at post-primary level than primary, but it is probably the right approach to ensure that all post-primary schools have high-speed connections as a priority. We are moving in the other area and I have seen examples where school websites are used to communicate with parents and there has been a reduction in paper-based activity. Some schools are doing what Deputy Naughten suggests we should do in all of them.

In an earlier response, I said we hoped to have more resources with the recovery. We have extra funding in education for the first time this year and I intend to ensure that we get more next year. The area referred to by Deputy Naughten will certainly be given attention.