Vol. 481 No. 6
20 Mr. Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will extend the terms of reference of the working group on heavy school bags to also include the cost of school books to parents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16671/97]
A consultancy report in 1994 which was commissioned by my Department dealt comprehensively with the issue of the cost of school books, and made a number of recommendations as to how these costs could be curtailed. Copies of this report were widely distributed and were sent to all schools.
Many of the measures recommended in the report, including the introduction of book rental schemes, have already been implemented. In the circumstances, I do not propose to extend the terms of reference of the working group as requested by the Deputy.
