Kathryn Reilly (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 4:

In page 3, between lines 19 and 20, to insert the following:" "voluntary contributions” means a standard charge requested by a non-fee-paying school to parents or guardians of each student attending;".

The purpose of amendments Nos. 4, 5, 17 and 20 is to amend the current legislation in order that schools be required to make information available to parents about voluntary contributions in the same way they are required to make information available about State funding allocations. Voluntary contributions are used extensively by schools to charge parents to plug the gaps left by cuts to their funding. Some schools might charge €50 per student while others charge hundreds of euro, effectively making the schools fee-paying. We raised this matter during the previous Minister's tenure and he said no school could prevent a child from attending or participating in activities if this so-called voluntary charge had not been paid. However, we know from speaking to parents that students are regularly excluded from activities or have lockers withheld from them where such a charge has not been paid, and the Department does not keep a record or monitor how much each school is charging parents; nor does it take anyone to task about these fees. Some parents find it difficult enough to put children in school uniforms without having to deal with this charge as well. I would prefer if this matter could be dealt with through specific legislation, but there has not been any interest in addressing it. That is why I am availing of the opportunity provided by this miscellaneous provisions legislation to make these amendments.
Amendment No. 20 would further compel the Minister to report to the Dáil on the practice of voluntary contributions with a view to gradually phasing them out.