Ann Graves (Dublin Fingal East, Sinn Fein)
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553. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department has a role in putting a cap on transition year fees in secondary schools to ensure lower income families can afford these fees. [62092/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Under the provisions of the Education Act, 1998 the Board of Management is the body charged with the direct governance of a school.

No mandatory charge or fee may be levied on parents or pupils in respect of instruction in any subject of the school curriculum where all pupils are expected to take part. This applies to all recognised schools in the Free Education Scheme.

A school may, however, seek payment to cover the cost of learning materials where the amount sought by the school is consistent with the costs involved and the level of materials provided. It is also permissible for a school to seek payments in respect of extra-curricular activities provided such activities are not obligatory and individual pupils can choose whether or not to participate. No pupil should be disadvantaged in their learning due to the non-payment of fees.

If a parent is concerned about a requested payment, they can contact the school to discuss. Schools should support parents that are struggling to pay, through offering different methods of payment options including instalments, or fee waivers considering the individual circumstance.