Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

204. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the allocation of funds set aside to provide to primary schools for new books and other required stationary for 2026 set out in the primary schoolbook scheme, in tabular form. [28221/25]

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

205. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the allocation of funds set aside to provide to post primary schools for new books and other required stationary for 2026 set out in the primary schoolbook scheme, in tabular form. [28222/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I propose to take Questions Nos. 204 and 205 together.

The 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.

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 and Youth, 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 2025, over 940,000 children and young people will benefit from the Primary and Post-primary Schoolbooks Schemes. The total allocation in 2025 to implement the free schoolbooks schemes in all primary, special and post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme for the 2025/26 school year is €170 million.

For the 2025/26 school year the total amount allocated under the Primary Schoolbooks Scheme is €46.9 million. The funding covers the provision of schoolbooks, workbooks, copybooks and where schools have remaining funding additional classroom resources may also be provided. The total allocation in the 2025/26 school year includes the administration support grant to support schools in implementing the scheme.

For the 2025/26 school year the total amount of funding allocated under the Post-primary Schoolbooks Scheme is €123.4 million. The funding covers the provision of schoolbooks and core classroom resources and, where funding permits, schools may also provide additional classroom resources.  The total allocation in the 2025/26 school year includes the administration support grant to support schools in implementing the scheme.

Funding for 2025/2026 school year funding issued to post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme in March 2025 and to primary and special schools in April 2025. This was to ensure schools have sufficient time to implement the scheme in advance of the new school year.

The allocation for the 2026/27 school year will be determined as part of the budgetary process for 2026