Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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472. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there is financial assistance available for families to meet the costs involved in circumstances in which their child's school uses tablet devices (details supplied) instead of books; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27013/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The decision to use tablet devices is a matter for the Board of Management of each school. Where the introduction of new technology is planned, there should be consultation with members of the school community including parents. The cost and other implications should be fully considered by the Boards of Managements before a decision is made. It is a matter for each individual school to determine the curriculum to be taught and the strategies to be employed to support teaching and learning in their school. 

As part of the new Digital Strategy for Schools, my Department provides advice on ICT equipment and digital learning tools that are best-suited to support learning and teaching in schools. An advice sheet on the adoption of tablets in schools is available on the PDST-Technology in Education (PDST-TIE) website, detailing what tablets can offer a school, educational considerations, purchasing considerations and software.

€210m will be allocated over the period of the Strategy, with the first tranche of €30m already distributed to schools in respect of the 2016-2017 school year. Work on the implementation of the Strategy is now underway.

There is a School Books Grant Scheme in place that provides assistance for books including ebooks for students in all recognised primary and post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme. Under this scheme, my Department provided approx. €7 million in funding to primary schools in 2016.

There is no specific financial assistance to provide funding to address the scenario outlined by the Deputy, outside of the standard funding allocated to schools, and both the School Books Grant Scheme and the ICT Infrastructure funding referred to above.