Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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32. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to address school costs. [24755/17]

Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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Will the Minister please outline how he intends to implement the recent circular on back-to-school costs? I would especially like to hear how the Minister will assess the implementation of the circular and the rate of premium capitation to be paid to schools as an incentive in reducing back-to-school costs.

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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My ambition is to make the education and training service the best within a decade. To deliver on my ambition to be the best, we have to improve information and complaint procedures for parents and students, particularly in relation to costs.

I want to give parents a strong voice in ensuring costs are always kept to a minimum. My Department recently published circular 32/2017, which details the measures to be adopted by schools to reduce the cost of school uniforms and other costs. The publication of this circular was one of the actions outlined in the Action Plan for Education 2016-2019.

Schools have to do everything possible to keep costs down for parents, including the use of generic items, sew-on or iron-on crests and making sure that various elements of the uniform can be purchased in multiple stores. In the Action Plan for Education I have committed to the restoration of capitation payments. In restoring capitation payments, where schools have introduced these cost-effective principles, they will receive a premium capitation payment.

Full transparency in the use of any voluntary contributions is important information for parents to have.

The parent and student charter will require every school to set out a financial statement, which will include information on how voluntary contributions are used. This is part of a suite of measures I am introducing, including the school admissions Bill, which will reform information and procedures around the process of school enrolment and the commencement of fitness to teach, which, for the first time, will allow a complaint to be made about a registered teacher to the Teaching Council.

Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome that the Department is examining the issue of back-to-school costs, which, as consistently highlighted by Sinn Féin, puts a huge amount of pressure on families every year. I welcome that it is acknowledged. However, I am concerned about the lack of detail in the circular. I wonder whether the Minister's approach in this regard is the right one. For example, capitation in schools has been already cut by 11% and it is wrong to link capitation to schools' efforts to reduce back-to-school costs. It is critically important that capitation is restored to schools as soon as possible. I was disappointed that provision was not made for this in the last budget.

I am concerned that schools will have a different rate of capitation, which will cause confusion. This will also introduce an element of inconsistency in the funding model for schools. Will schools lose out on funding if school costs rise and what model will be used to allocate the funding? There are a lot of unanswered questions in respect of this circular. Can the Minister confirm that all schools will have their full capitation rates restored as a matter of priority - an issue I have also raised with the Minister on the education committee - and can he set out a timeframe for the restoration of capitation because schools are struggling to pay running costs?

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I am glad the Deputy welcomes this measure. Each year, the Irish League of Credit Unions outlines the pressure on parents in terms of school costs. Surveys carried out by my Department have shown that the principles I have put into this keen cost approach are ones that parents generally support. The type of issues we will be looking at in terms of whether a school is compliant include whether a school is providing for generic choice for school uniforms and other items; whether the items are available in various stores; whether the school operates a book rental scheme and whether, if it has an exclusive agreement with a provider, it is tendered regularly. These are fairly clear issues on which we can make an assessment of whether a school is making a reasonable contribution towards keeping costs down for parents. It is perfectly reasonable that schools that are making the effort would be given a premium in terms of support from the State. It is a partnership and that approach is one that not only asks everyone to do this, which is important, but also provides an incentive for schools that make a real effort.

Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister for his detailed response. I welcome the acknowledgement that back-to-school costs is an issue but I do not agree with his approach to link it to school capitation. I think that is very unfair. Schools have managed to do more with less money and this is not the right approach. I am still unclear as to how the Department will implement this proposal. Will schools be expected to report to the Department on an annual basis in respect of school costs? How will the Department collect data on school costs on an annual basis? In my view, the type of approach being taken will only create problems. What happens in cases where schools do not have the resources to implement a school book rental scheme, for example, due to cuts in middle management posts? Will these schools be penalised further?

Will the Minister accept that additional resources need to be provided to schools to enable them to meet the aspiration of a truly free education system and will he implement the full recommendations of the Oireachtas joint committee report on tackling back-to-school costs, which was published in 2013 and remains sitting on a shelf? Can the Minister set out a timeframe for the implementation of the Oireachtas report on tackling back-to-school costs?

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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What we are doing is introducing fairly practical measures to establish compliance with these principles. We are also introducing a parent and student charter and we are giving parents more say in the decisions that schools make. We are trying to reach a situation whereby everyone feels it is in the interests of the school and the parent group to ensure that costs are kept to a minimum in order that parents do not have this additional burden. We have yet to work out the details of how we assess compliance, how we measure contribution and the impact on capitation but the principle that we need to bring down costs is broadly supported across the House.

In regard to book rental, we provide support to schools in respect of book rental schemes. Most schools operate a book rental scheme but we want to ensure that every school does so. We are introducing practical measures that will bring about change. This will take time to reach its full benefit but it is a move in the right direction. I welcome the Deputy's support. I will look at the Oireachtas report to see if contains any additional initiatives that we should be considering.