asked the Minister for Education is she intends to increase the financial allocation for grants for school books; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - School Books Grants.
35.
Owing to the necessity to achieve a substantial reduction in overall Government expenditure, it has not been possible to provide for an increase in the rate of the grant towards the cost of school books in primary schools this year.
With regard to post-primary schools, the provision for the scheme of aid towards the cost of schoolbooks for necessitous pupils in 1987 is £1,605,000.
You will appreciate that there is necessarily a limit to the amount of money available to my Department for the purposes of the scheme each year, and that while the provision is not as great as I would wish it is the most that can be allowed in the present economic circumstances. Nevertheless, it has been found possible to fund an increase of over 2 per cent in the allocation for the scheme at post-primary level in 1987 over the amount provided in 1986.