Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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30. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the steps he is taking to provide free education to families; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23282/14]

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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The Minister is very conscious that costs arise for families as children progress through school. He has taken a number of initiatives to reduce the burden on families. He met with the Irish Educational Publishers' Association and impressed on them the need to limit the cost of textbooks and avoid a position where textbooks are altered unnecessarily. The Association agreed a voluntary Code of Practice. He published "Guidelines for Developing Textbook Rental Schemes in Schools" and a "Guide for Parents". These Guidelines will encourage this practice across all schools in our education landscape. In Budget 2013 the Minister announced that €15m had been secured over three years to support primary schools who did not operate book rental schemes. €6.7m of that funding will be distributed to these schools in 2014 and 2015. The balance of €8.3m, will be divided among all other primary schools that currently operate book rental schemes in 2015 and 2016.

He has requested schools to consult parents on the school policy in relation to school uniforms, so that parents can express a view on the use of lower cost options.