Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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71. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to implement the recommendations of the 1998 report of the working group on the weight of school bags, which include that no child should carry a school bag that weighs more than 10% of their body weight, that books should be for a single year and that more double classes should be introduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3096/14]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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My Department issued circulars to all primary and post-primary schools in 2005 to highlight the potential health hazard of overweight schoolbags and to outline a range of local measures that could be put in place to help alleviate the problem.

The circulars referred to the recommendations of the previously published report of the Working Group on the Weight of School Bags. This report acknowledged that many of the solutions belong at local school level and made various recommendations in this regard, such as optimum use of storage facilities, developing pupil organisation skills and timetabling.

It is a matter for each individual school to determine which particular measures are most suited to its individual circumstances and to how the school concerned organises teaching and learning.

The circulars (PC 13/05 and M35/05) and the report of the Working Group on the Weight of School Bags are available on my Department's website at www.education.ie.