Eamon Gilmore
Question:20 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Education if, in view of her reply to parliamentary question No. 30 of 7 June 1990, in which she said that the exclusion of pupils' infant classes from the free books scheme reflected the position on the establishment of the scheme where the programme for infant standards made minimum demands on school books, she (1) has asked her school inspectors to investigate the current situation of book costs at infant level, (2) had the fact brought to her attention that many national schools have issued book bills for amounts in excess of £15 per pupil in infant classes this year and that the exclusion of such pupils from the scheme gives rise to hardship and (3) recognises that there is a need to update the scheme and rectify the anomaly which has been highlighted; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
