Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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191. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated number of children, by local authority area, who will benefit from the free schoolbooks scheme at second level at leaving certificate for the 2025/2026 academic year. [39959/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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On 5^th March this year I announced details of a new 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 70 special schools, are already benefiting from the new scheme in the current school year.

The investment of €68 million in 2024 significantly increases the funding that was previously provided for schoolbooks and reinforces the Government’s commitment to expand the free schoolbooks scheme to schools nationwide, as resources allow.

Further funding of €51 million has been secured in Budget 2025 to extend the schoolbooks scheme to all students in Senior Cycle in Post Primary Schools in the Free Education Scheme.

As my Department has not yet obtained schools validated enrolment data for the 2025/26 school year I am unable to provide the data requested by local authority. However, I can supply the most recent enrolment figures for Senior Cycle years published by my Department which includes Transition Year, 5th year and 6th year students enrolled for the 2023/24 school year broken down by local authority area.