Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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382. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of primary school children who received the benefit of free schoolbooks on their return to school this year; and the estimated savings to each child included in the scheme. [40727/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Earlier this year, I announced a landmark new scheme seeing the government investing over €53 million in providing free schoolbooks, workbooks and copybooks for pupils. The investment in this scheme significantly increases the funding for school books provided to date to all recognised primary schools in the country.

The primary school book grant funding for the 2023/24 academic year, totalling over €53.7 million was paid directly to all recognised primary and special schools in April, to allow schools implement the scheme in time for the start of the 2023/24 school year.

The basis of the grant funding provided is that it eliminates the overall cost of schoolbooks, workbooks and copybooks for parents. Parents must not be asked to purchase schoolbooks, workbooks or copybooks or to make a contribution to the school towards the cost of these items. Once the cost of these items are covered schools can use any surplus funding to provide related classroom resources such as pens, pencils, erasers. Schools will differ in what the funding can provide based on their individual needs.

Under this scheme, €96 per pupil was paid in line with recognised pupil enrolment on 30 September 2022. Some 559,501 pupils and their families in 3,231 primary and special schools have benefited from the free primary schoolbook scheme in the current school year.