Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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301. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the amount of money saved by the decision not to extend the free schoolbooks scheme to fee-paying schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16210/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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As Minister for Education, I believe it is crucially important that children and young people are actively supported to access education in its fullest forms. This Government recognises that the cost of preparing children for school each September can be a cause of financial difficulty and worry for many Irish families.

As you are aware, on the 5th of March, I announced details of a new ground-breaking scheme which provides free schoolbooks to Junior Cycle students in post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme.

Special schools who have students enrolled in Junior Cycle programmes will also receive this funding. More than 213,000 students enrolled in approximately 670 post-primary schools and over 65 special schools, will benefit from the new scheme.

The investment of €68 million in 2024 significantly increases the funding that is currently provided for schoolbooks and introduces a schoolbooks scheme to Junior Cycle years in all post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme.

It reinforces the Government’s commitment to expand the free schoolbooks scheme to schools nationwide, as resources allow.

The funding provided under Budget 2024 is specifically to provide free school books to students in Junior Cycle years in post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme. Private fee-charging post-primary schools are not in the Free Education Scheme.

Schools in the Free Education Scheme are paid a range of grants, payable on the basis of a school’s enrolment and may also apply for funding towards the cost of capital works.

What differentiates fee charging schools from all other post-primary schools is the capacity to raise funds through mandatory fees, while in receipt of exchequer funding.

The fees charged are mandatory in that initial admission to the fee charging school or ongoing participation is contingent on the payment of fees.

Fee-charging post-primary schools are not grant funded in relation to book schemes which are, therefore, a matter for the school’s board of management.