asked the Minister for Education whether the children of parents who are holders of medical cards are entitled to free books under the free post primary scheme.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Free Schoolbooks.
99.
The requirement for assistance under the free book scheme for necessitous pupils is that the school principal be satisfied that there is genuine hardship due to unemployment, prolonged illness of parent, large family with inadequate means, mother a widow, etc. Subject to this and to the amount of money available to him, the principal has discretion in the distribution of grants Possession of a medical card is a factor which might be taken into account when assessing individual cases.
Surely the Parliamentary Secretary is aware of the situation that exists at the moment? Children who receive free books this year will not receive them next year.
The Deputy is making a statement.
I am telling the Minister the truth.
The Deputy is making a most ambiguous statement. He is not giving us very much information. There may have been an improvement in means.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that children are asked in class to put up their hands to say whether their parents have medical cards? Is he further aware that principals and school managers may make recommendations in respect of free books and that the Department refuse to accede to these requests, thereby depriving these pupils of free books?
It is not correct to state that the medical card is the sole method of assessing means and, if it were we would decry it.
Will the Parliamentary Secretary issue a directive to schools?
The Deputy would be much more helpful if he brought instances of this kind to the notice of the Minister and myself personally.
Did the Parliamentary Secretary see reports in the newspapers?
I did not.
Was it not brought up at a Dublin County Council meeting?
I do not attend Dublin County Council meetings.
Surely the Parliamentary Secretary is aware that the Minister issued a statement in 1967 saying that holders of medical cards were entitled to free books?
When the scheme was introduced it was stated that medical cards could be used as a method of assessing means, but as it subsequently came to the notice of the Department that medical cards were issued on different standards in different counties, not in a uniform way, we did not think it would be reasonable or fair to continue that method of assessing families and we issued a new circular, which I have outlined in my reply, giving the different categories. Deputies must rememebr that at all times it is at the discretion of the principal.
How many children have been deprived of free books since the regulation was changed?
That is a separate question.
Can the Parliamentary Secretary tell us the number who were rejected?
That is also a separate question.
Can the Parliamentary Secretary say whether some of the free books issued to children are second-hand?
That, also, is a separate question.
It has to do with free books.
On the question of secondhand books——
The Chair has said that these supplementaries involve separate questions.
I am anxious to be helpful to Deputies. If a question is put down next week I will do my best to reply to it.
Is there a maximum grant in respect of any one school?
Roughly, grants are made to cater for 25 per cent of day pupils in schools. However, if the headmaster finds that that is inadequate he can make a recommendation to the Department, but in no case can he issue free books without the authority of the Department.
Does the Parliamentary Secretary not think that a blanket grant of 25 per cent could be unfair to schools in certain areas, particularly working-class areas as distinct from middle-class areas?
The Chair has pointed out that we are exceeding the scope of the question that was asked.
I will ask just one more supplementary. Would the Parliamentary Secretary place an announcement in the newspapers in regard to the new regulations so that parents will know what they are entitled to, that they are entitled to free books for their children even if they have medical cards?
I replied to that question already.