Written answers

Tuesday, 19 April 2011

Department of Education and Skills

School Text Books

8:00 pm

Photo of Clare DalyClare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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Question 115: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to high mark-up on the prices of school books here, which add further financial burden to parents putting children through school; if his further attention has been drawn to the fact that awarding of licences to several big publishing companies contributes to this situation; and if he will examine this issue. [8338/11]

Photo of Ruairi QuinnRuairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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My Department has no role in the production and publication of school text books. Accordingly, I am not in a position to speculate on the cost of school books, which is determined on a commercial basis by the educational publishers who commission them. I can also confirm that my Department does not administer any licensing scheme, and I am unaware of any licensing scheme run by any other Department.

My Department intends to issue funding to primary schools in April and to post-primary schools in June to enable them to provide assistance for school books. Details of the funding were notified to schools by circulars 0023/2011 (primary level) and 0024/2011 (post-primary level), which are available on my Department's website. In these circulars, schools are urged to use this funding to establish book rental schemes, as these are the most effective means of lowering costs for all students.

Funding will be allocated on the following basis: - €11 per pupil in primary schools; - €21 per pupil in primary schools within the Delivering Equality in Schools (DEIS) scheme; - €24 per pupil in post-primary; or - €39 per pupil in post-primary schools within the DEIS scheme. This funding arrangement affords schools the autonomy to utilise funding in the most effective way based on their particular knowledge of their student needs. The previous system required schools to apply each year to my Department for a book grant, which resulted in a significant administrative burden, both for schools and my Department.

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