Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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259. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department has received correspondence from an organisation (details supplied), concerning her Department's guidelines for the new free school books scheme; her plans to consult with the organisation and small independent retailers whose main business is the supply of schoolbooks in advance of the introduction of free books to primary schools for the 2023-2024 term; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14383/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I can confirm that my Department has received correspondence referred to by the Deputy and will issue a direct reply in the coming days.

Since June 2020, and over the past three Budgets, I have secured funding to support measures aimed at ensuring that all children and young people are actively supported to access education in its fullest forms. One of the most important policies in this regard has been the establishment of Ireland’s first national primary school book scheme, whichwill provide free schoolbooks, workbooks and copybooks, in primary schools and special schools. More than 558,000 pupils enrolled in approximately 3,230 primary schools, including over 130 special schools, will benefit from this measure.

The total investment, of over €50 million, significantly increases the funding for school books currently provided to all recognised primary schools in the country.

My Department engaged with all relevant stakeholders as to how the scheme will operate. These included: primary school management bodies, unions, the National Parents Council Primary, representatives of booksellers and schoolbook publishers, IBEC, Retail Ireland, the Small Firms Association, Barnardos and the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul. My Department also engaged with a number of schools, including some of the primary schools participating in the DEIS pilot free book scheme, to learn of their first-hand experience of operating a book rental scheme.

Detailed Guidance on the implementation of the scheme is published and has been made available to primary schools to ensure schools have sufficient time to implement the new scheme in advance of the start of the 2023/24 school year. The Guidance has been informed by the engagements with all relevant stakeholders. The grant under the new scheme will issue to each recognised primary school in April. In the case of primary schools managed by ETBs, the funding will issue directly to the relevant ETB.

The implementation of the measure will build on the experience of the existing school book rental scheme, which is available in the majority of recognised primary schools, and on the free school books pilot provided to over 100 primary DEIS schools in recent years.

Primary schools and special schools will continue to have autonomy to choose books that meet their curricular requirements. The scheme will seek to ensure that value for money is achieved and that primary schools and special schools will be supported to implement the scheme in a way that has the best learning outcomes for pupils.