Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 September 2023
367. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Education the first- and full-year cost of extending the free schoolbooks scheme to all pupils in public post-primary schools, assuming a grant rate of €192, €200 and €220 respectively, for each student in an eligible year. [40428/23]
View answerEarlier this year, I announced a landmark new scheme which saw the government investing over €50 million in providing free schoolbooks, workbooks and copybooks for pupils.
More than 558,000 pupils enrolled in approximately 3,230 primary schools, including over 130 special schools, will benefit from the new scheme this year.
The Department currently provides a book grant to all recognised post-primary schools within the Free Education Scheme in order to provide assistance for books, including Book Rental Schemes. Schools participating in the Department’s DEIS Programme receive an enhanced rate of book grant. My Department provided funding of €10.2 million in 2022 to these schools
Book grant funding is provided to schools annually for a full academic year and is based on the most recent year’s validated enrolment figures.
Based on the figures provided by the Deputy, the cost to provide a free schoolbook scheme to all students in public post primary schools is estimated as follows:
Number of pupils is based on validated enrolment figures for 2022/23 for students in public post primary schools (379,200) increased by the projected increase in post primary enrolments from 2022/23 to 2023/24 (7319) as published in my Department's projections of full time enrolments for 2021 to 2036.
€192 x 386,519 pupils = €74,211,648
€200 x 386,519 pupils = €77,303,800
€220 x 386,519 pupils = €85,034,180
The extension of the free schoolbook scheme to post primary schools will be considered in the context of available resources as part of budget negotiations.
