Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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79. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if free schoolbooks will be available to primary schools in September; if so, when the payment schedule will issue to schools; and if she will outline the discussions she has had with booksellers and publishers. [5253/23]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Sinn Féin has been talking about free school books for primary school for many years. It has been in place in the North for approximately 70 years. I certainly welcomed the announcement in the budget that it was to be considered for this September. Schools are beginning to wonder how they get themselves organised. I received a written answer from the Minister recently that put a small bit more meat on the bone of what she had outlined previously. However, schools are still very unsure how this will happen, not to mind bookshops and publishers. Will she shine a bit more light on how this will work? That would be great.

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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My Department’s statement of strategy sets out the vision and mission of the Department for an educational system where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to reach their full potential. Its goal is to ensure equity of opportunity in education and that all pupils are supported to fulfil their potential. Since June 2020, and over the past three budgets, I have secured funding to support measures aimed at achieving and sustaining that goal. As part of budget 2023, I announced a €50 million provision to provide free books to primary school pupils within the free education scheme from next September. This is a significant investment and further reflects the Government’s commitment to a quality and inclusive school system with improved learning outcomes for every pupil.

The Government recognises that the cost of preparing children for school each September can be a cause of financial difficulty and worry for many Irish families. This free schoolbooks measure will eliminate the cost to these families for all school books at primary school, including workbooks. It delivers on the programme for Government commitment to extend the free school book pilot which is currently in place in a number of DEIS primary schools. The free primary school books scheme will benefit up to 540,000 pupils in approximately 3,240 recognised primary schools, including over 130 special schools.

The implementation of the measure will build on the existing school book rental scheme which is available in some 96% of recognised primary schools and has been in place for many years. Schools buy books directly from school book suppliers at present as part of the implementation of the existing school book rental scheme. My Department will also consider the information and experience from the schools involved in the free school book pilot for the past three years.

My Department has been engaging with relevant stakeholders including teacher unions, management bodies and representatives of school book publishers and booksellers in order to inform and plan for the roll out of the measure. Engagement has already commenced and I will meet with all stakeholders imminently.

Detailed guidance for primary schools on the operation of free schoolbooks measure is being developed and, together with the funding, will be provided to schools to support the purchase of the books and resources in time for the start of the 2023-24 school year. It is recognised that this work will have to commence in schools after the Easter break.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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I ask the Minister to repeat the last part of her answer and outline exactly what is happening after the Easter break. That is relatively late in the school year for some primary schools.

I agree with a lot of what she said. She certainly will not find me saying that this is a bad idea. We have been talking about it for long enough and it is a good idea. It will reduce the burden on parents and level the playing field to a certain extent. A lot more needs to be done to reduce the costs for parents in respect of voluntary contributions and so on, but free school books is a good idea and I would love to see it extended to secondary schools.

The last time we discussed this, we were back and forth about the education partners and I am glad that the Minister is now engaging with publishers and booksellers, which is important. In the response I received to a written question, it seems that this programme will build on the book rental scheme and is currently planned on the basis that funds will be provided directly to schools to purchase schoolbooks and related classroom resources. That is the way it will be rolled out. Schools are going to get cash and are going to buy the books from their local bookshop. Schools are asking me when they are going to get the payment schedule. In a primary school with 700 children, for example, there is a fair bit of administration involved.

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I appreciate the Deputy's support and want to acknowledge that there has been almost unanimous support within the Chamber for this measure. He is correct and I am conscious that the information needs to be in schools soon so that they have the opportunity to do what needs to be done in terms of the scheme. I recognise that schools will need to have this have this information available to them after the Easter break and we are working towards that schedule. As I have outlined to the Deputy, it is important that proper consultation takes place. We have had consultation with the Irish National Teachers' Organisation, INTO, the Irish Educational Publishers Association and Booksellers Ireland.

The Deputy also referenced post-primary schools. Initially, this is a primary-led initiative and there will be great learning from it. It is my hope and expectation that we will have an opportunity, going forward, to extend it to the post-primary sector. I also want to acknowledge that the package provided to schools will be based on the learnings that we had from the book rental scheme and the free book pilot scheme that we ran across 102 DEIS primary schools. This provides a significant learning opportunity, combined with what we will learn from the publishers.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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I agree that there must be consultation, and I was saying that before Christmas, but there is a balance to be struck in that regard. Hopefully, we can get a payment schedule for schools as soon as possible so that they can go out and buy the books.

Has the Department looked at the question of e-books? They could play a role in the context of parents' concerns about the weight of schoolbags. Is that part of the discussion here and where is that likely to fall?

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Schools will have the autonomy to purchase the books from their nearest and local provider, or whomever they have an existing relationship with. I am conscious that many schools have strong relationships with their local bookshop or local book provider and that autonomy will continue. The schools will make the decision as to where they will source the books.

The funding that is being provided is specifically for the provision of textbooks and workbooks. Schools make their own policy around whether they use e-books or textbooks but the funding will be made available on the basis of the provision of appropriate textbooks and workbooks. Schools will continue to have autonomy to decide with whom they will do business in the provision of those books. If they have an existing relationship with a local provider, they will have the freedom to make a decision to continue that relationship with that local provider.