Vol. 428 No. 1
502 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Education if she will instruct schools to issue book lists to parents in June 1993, in order to ease the financial burden involved in book lists not being issued until September, when other back-to-school costs arise for parents.
The issuing of book lists to parents is primarily a matter for decision by the principal teacher in consultation with the teaching staff and is not an area in which my Department would feel it appropriate to intervene.
In the case of primary schools, where no texts are prescribed, the normal practice is that book lists are issued to parents in June of each school year.
In the case of post-primary schools, the school authorities are notified every April by my Department of the prescribed material for the Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate courses to commence the following September. They are, at the same time, reminded of the importance of giving adequate notice to pupils of the texts that will be required so that they can be obtained before the start of the school year.
