Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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224. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the total amount allocated under the schoolbook grant for each of the 2024/2025 and 2023/2024 school years. [16437/25]

Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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225. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills , based on her Department's survey of schools, the total number of books purchased by schools nationally under the schoolbooks scheme during each of the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school year; the percentage of books that were re-used in each of these years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16438/25]

Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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226. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills based on her Department's survey of schools, the total amount spent nationally under the schoolbook grant on workbooks for each of the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 and school years; the total number of workbooks procured nationally for each of those years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16439/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 224, 225 and 226 together.

The Programme for Government acknowledges that education should be inclusive of all students, recognising that particular students may need particular supports. It commits to continue work to tackle all forms of disadvantage in education and promote inclusivity and to provide free schoolbooks to all children in the free education system and introduce changes as needed to the operation of this scheme. As Minister for Education, I want to ensure that all of our children and young people have the opportunity of access to education which empowers them to thrive and realise the full extent of their potential.

In relation to primary and special schools, up to and including the 2022/23 school year, my department provided an annual book grant to all recognised primary, special and post-primary schools within the Free Education Scheme to provide assistance for books, including book rental schemes. Budget 2023 announced funding to provide free schoolbooks to all children and young people enrolled in recognised primary schools, including special schools from the start of the 2023/24 school year. For the 2023/24 school year the final amount allocated under the Primary Schoolbooks Scheme was €55.92 million. For the 2024/25 school year the total amount allocated is €47 million. The total allocation in the 2023/24 and 2024/25 school year includes the administration support grant to support schools in implementing the scheme.

In relation to post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme, under the annual book grant, my department provided funding of €10.65 million for the 2023/24 school year to these schools. In Budget 2024 the Government announced the extension of the free schoolbooks scheme to Junior Cycle students in recognised post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme. €68.2 million is allocated for the Junior Cycle Schoolbooks Scheme for the 2024/25 school year, to provide free schoolbooks and related classroom resources to all students enrolled in Junior Cycle years. This figure includes the administration support grant. In addition, €4.96 million is allocated for the 2024/25 school year under the existing annual book grant to provide assistance for books for students enrolled in Senior Cycle years, including Transition Year, in post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme.

In Budget 2025 the Government announced that the free schoolbooks scheme is to be extended to students in Senior Cycle, including Transition Year, in recognised post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme from the start of the 2025/26 school year.

The total allocation in 2025 to implement the free schoolbooks schemes in all primary, special and post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme is €170 million.

Schools are expected to adopt a cost-conscious approach to the selection of books for use in their classes. Apart from a small number of prescribed texts at post-primary level, determined by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), the decisions on which textbooks, programmes and resources, if any, for use in primary and post-primary schools are taken at school level. Therefore, the number or edition of schoolbook and/or workbook required by each student for individual subjects will be determined at a local level by each school and this data is not held by my department.

As part of the evaluation of year 1 of the scheme a small sample of primary and special schools was requested to provide data on expenditure for the 2023/2024 school year. My Department does not hold data on the breakdown of national expenditure between schoolbooks and workbooks for the 2023/24 school year.

Schools are required to submit accounts to the Financial Support Services Unit (FSSU) on an annual basis to comply with accounting requirements under Section 18 of the Education Act 1998. This data will form part of the long-term evaluation of the scheme.

All primary and post-primary schools have been asked to provide data on their expenditure for the 2024/25 school year in order to inform the guidance, implementation, costs and efficiency of the schemes for future years. Data from primary and special schools is currently being analysed by my department as part of the evaluation and review of the primary scheme for the 2024/2025 school year. The portal for post-primary schools to submit an income and expenditure return for year 1 of the Junior Cycle Schoolbooks Scheme is currently open and schools will have until 11 April to submit a return.

I am grateful to all school leaders who have taken the time to submit information in relation to the scheme. My Department will continue to engage in a long-term review of the scheme to ensure that the objectives of the scheme are being met and delivered in all schools.