Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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276. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the details of capital and current expenditure on the school book grant schemes over each of the past ten years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33744/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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My Department provides funding of €16 million annually to schools to support the operation of school book rental schemes for students in all recognised primary and post-primary schools within the Free Education Scheme.

The arrangements in relation to this scheme are set out in Circular 0046/2013 which is published on my Department's website.

In addition, Budget 2014 provided funding of €5 million per annum for three years to support the establishment of book rental schemes in primary schools that did not operate such schemes. 449 schools committed to establishing such a book rental scheme. DEIS schools received €150 per pupil and non-DEIS schools received €100 per pupil in seed capital to establish book rental schemes. 

Primary schools that were operating book rental schemes prior to 2014 also benefitted from funding. These arrangements are set out in Circular 0030/2015 which is published on my Department’s website.

Every primary school has now been given the opportunity to benefit from the funding secured for the establishment of School Book Rental Schemes. The most recent figures available at primary level indicate that 95% of primary schools operate a book rental scheme.

The most recent figures available at post-primary level indicate that 65% of schools operate book rental schemes.

The attached document gives a breakdown of funding provided by my Department for the operation of school book rental schemes to primary schools for the period from 2008 to 2017 and for post-primary schools for the period from 2009 to 2017. The breakdown for book grant funding at post-primary level is not readily available for 2008.

Funding for Primary and Post Primary School Book Grant

Post Primary Schools Book Grant

Primary Schools Book Grant