Peter Cleere (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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400. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of families in Kilkenny and Carlow that currently avail of the free schoolbooks scheme; the annual cost of this; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37278/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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In Budget 2025, my department announced that the free schoolbooks scheme would be extended to students in Senior Cycle years, including Transition Year, in post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme.

This brings the total investment for schoolbooks to over €170 million for the new school year.

This means, for the first time ever, all children and young people enrolled in primary, special and post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme will be provided with schoolbooks and core classroom resources.

Book grant funding issued to post-primary schools in March 2025 and primary schools in April 2025 so that schools have enough time to implement the scheme in advance of the new school year.

My department has also allocated an administration support grant to schools for the forthcoming school year, based on the size of the school to assist with the additional work required in order to implement the scheme. Payment of the Administration Support Grant issued to post primary schools in March 2025 and to primary schools in May 2025.

The Schoolbook Schemes have eliminated the cost to families for all schoolbooks, workbooks and copybooks at primary level, including special schools, and all schoolbooks and core classroom resources at post-primary level.

It continues to deliver on the Programme for Government commitment to “Provide free schoolbooks to all children in the free education system and introduce changes as needed to the operation of this scheme.

The numbers of students who benefited from this scheme in the current school year in Kilkenny and Carlow and the breakdown of schoolbook scheme payments made to primary and post-primary schools in each county are detailed in the following tables.

Primary 2024/2025 school year

Post Primary Junior Cycle 2024/2025 school year