Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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204. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of schools in which the use of an application fee has been reported and confirmed by county in 2019, in tabular form; if refunds have been issued; the value of the application fee; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51477/19]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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My Department does not hold records regarding payments collected from or made to parents, as the case may be.

Section 64 of the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018, which is operational since October 2018, explicitly prohibits the charging of fees or seeking payment or contributions for admission to or for continued enrolment in a school.

Under the provisions of the Education Act, 1998 the board of management is responsible for the direct governance of the school, including compliance with the appropriate legislation.

Should an individual have a concern regarding admission fees being sought by a school, or they are concerned about the manner in which the school is requesting payment, they can raise this with the principal of the in the first instance.

Should they not be satisfied with their response then the Chairperson of the Board of Management of the school can be contacted school in relation to the concerns.