Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 323: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if her Department has a strategy to reduce the level of printed correspondence, communications, reports and other documents; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12787/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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My Department, where practical, aims to reduce the production of printed documents. A wide range of publications and reports are made available electronically on my Department's website. For example, school inspection reports are made available on my Department's website. A range of application forms, circulars and other information booklets are also made available for reference and download from the Department's website.

In addition, a new service was recently introduced, whereby short messages can be printed on teachers payslips and this is used to make teachers aware of new circulars and other notices that have been published on the Department's website. This has removed the need to send paper copies of circulars to every teacher in the country. In addition, the Online Claims System which has been rolled out to primary and post primary schools has also removed the need for schools to submit certain information to my Department on paper forms, thus saving both on printing and postage costs.

My Department will continue to take advantage of opportunities to reduce the amount of documents printed wherever this is practical.