Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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224. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to simplify the tendering protocol for the free schoolbooks scheme to allow wider access to the scheme for independent bookstores; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36825/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As you are aware in early February, I announced details of the final phase of the ground-breaking scheme which provides free schoolbooks to all children and young people in the Free Education Scheme. From September 2025, over 940,000 children and young people will benefit from the Primary and Post-primary Schoolbooks Schemes. The investment of up to €123 million in 2025 significantly increases the funding that is currently provided for schoolbooks and introduces a free schoolbooks scheme to Senior Cycle years in all post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme.

My Department has published guidance documents for schools around the operation of both the primary and post-primary schoolbooks schemes, in continued engagement with stakeholders. The guidance contains information that highlights the importance of schools engaging with bookshops and booksellers proactively to ensure a smooth implementation of the schemes. It draws attention to the role that the Office of Government Procurement plays in promoting schemes to facilitate Small and Medium sized Enterprise (SME) participation in Public Procurement and includes direct reference to DPER Circular 05/2023 that refers to initiatives to assist SMEs in Public Procurement.

Schools, like other organisations that receive public sector funding have obligations that stem from both EU and national public procurement rules when sourcing goods and services. The schoolbooks scheme does not place any additional responsibilities upon schools that are not already in legislation. My Department is aware that these procurement obligations presented a challenge to schools implementing the scheme in 2024. In response to these challenges experienced by schools and management bodies, my Department in conjunction with the Education Procurement Service (EPS) and the Schools Procurement Unit (SPU) developed a dynamic purchasing system to assist Voluntary Secondary and Community and Comprehensive Schools meet their public procurement obligations from 2025 onwards.

A dynamic purchasing system (DPS), is an electronic method of procurement, used for the supply of goods and/or services. It is different to traditional procurement routes as it operates an ‘open market’ for suppliers to join either constantly or very frequently. The DPS is hosted on the eTenders web platform, www.etenders.gov.ie. In the schoolbooks DPS, the country is divided into 21 geographical lots, with one additional Lot for eBooks. Schools must tender for suppliers within their approved lot. Schoolbooks suppliers can apply to be admitted to a maximum of 12 lots, allowing local schoolbooks suppliers to apply for contracts with schools in their designated Lot.

This lotting structure ensures a balance between the local bookshop and the national supplier, as well as ensuring competition and value for money for all lots and schools across the country.

Any bookshop can apply for admittance to the DPS for the supply of schoolbooks, including eBooks, to Community & Comprehensive, and Voluntary Secondary Schools (excluding ETB schools) within the free education scheme, once they meet the criteria. In relation to ETB schools, in the ETB sector there is a centralised ETB framework for the purchase of schoolbooks and schoolbook procurement is carried out centrally by each ETB.

My Department engaged with suppliers late in 2024 encouraging suppliers to apply to join the DPS to maximise the number of suppliers available. My Department also engaged with school principals and management bodies at several fora to encourage the school community to engage with suppliers or bookshops with whom they had an existing relationship to ensure that the maximum number of suppliers could be available to schools.

Officials in my department have met with Bookselling Ireland on a number of occasions and will continue to engage with Bookselling Ireland, as part of the ongoing evaluation of the scheme.