Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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494. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to reduce the costs of primary, secondary and third level education for families and students here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26113/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The Government has just launched the first Action Plan for Education aimed at making the Irish education and training service the best in Europe by 2026. This plan, which incorporates my Department's Strategy Statement as well as the Action Plan for Education outlines hundreds of actions to be implemented across 2016-2019. Some of the actions as part of the plan are to strengthen the focus on reducing school costs for parents by:

- Restoring capitation funding over a three-year period as resources permit

- Increasing the financial support for book rental schemes, in order to reduce/eliminate school book costs for parents

- Place a requirement within a Parents and Learners Charter for Schools to take account of the views of their parental communities when making decisions on matters that have a financial impact for parents

- Issue a new circular to school authorities and ETBs regarding school uniform policy and other costs and the need to put a greater emphasis on reducing the cost of school uniforms and other costs.

In relation to supports at third level, my Department currently provides various supports to alloy some of the costs of going to college for students and their family's such as the Student Grant Scheme, Pilot Support Scheme and Student Assistance Fund. The Programme for Government contains commitments in respect of lone parents and post-graduate students. The options for progressing these two commitments are currently under consideration within the context of overall budgetary constraints, and the large number of competing demands for available funding.