Dan Neville
Ceist:340 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will arrange for the allocation and distribution of book grants for primary schools in needy cases to be distributed in June of each year. [19823/02]
Written Answers. - Student Support Schemes.
The circular relating to grants for school books is issued annually by my Department in April, along with an application form. The closing date for receipt of completed application forms is normally at the end of May. The grant is based on the projected numbers of eligible pupils in the various classes in the following September, and schools would be expected to be in a position to accurately project these figures in advance of the closing date. These grants are now paid directly to schools' bank accounts in electronic format and my Department is examining the feasibility of issuing the grants before the end of June in future years.