Education Committee to consider back to school costs

9 October 2012

The Committee will meet with representatives from the Catholic Primary School Management Association, An Fóras Pátrúnachta, Educate Together, the Church of Ireland, the Irish Vocational Education Association and the Joint Managerial Body through the Secretariat of Secondary Schools.

Committee Vice-Chair Aodhán Ó Ríordáin TD says: “A recent survey of parents, carried out on behalf of the National Consumer Agency, estimates back to school costs at €487 for primary school children and €620 for those attending secondary school. Almost 80 percent of parents are more concerned about the costs this year than they were last year.

“At a time when families are increasingly squeezed, our Committee is intent on exploring all options to minimise back to school costs. Tomorrow’s meeting with representatives from a wide range of representative educational bodies allows the Committee an opportunity to assess any practical steps that can be taken to curb the cost of equipping children for school at primary and secondary levels.”

The meeting takes place tomorrow Wednesday 10 October in Committee Room 3, LH 2000 at 10 a.m. Committee proceedings can be viewed online via this link.

For further information please contact:   
Paul Hand,
Houses of the Oireachtas,
Communications Unit,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2
P: +353 1 618 4484
M: +353  87 694 9926

Committee Membership
Deputies:     
James Bannon, Fine Gael
Ray Butler, Fine Gael
Áine Collins, Fine Gael
Joan Collins, People Before Profit
Seán Crowe, Sinn Féin
Clare Daly, Independent
Simon Harris, Fine Gael
Charlie McConalogue, Fianna Fáil
Nicky McFadden, Fine Gael
Mary Mitchell O’Connor, Fine Gael
Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, Labour Party (Vice Chair)
Aengus Ó Snodaigh, Sinn Féin
Willie O’Dea, Fianna Fáil
Brendan Ryan, Labour Party
Joanna Tuffy, Labour Party (Chair)

Senators:     
Jim D’Arcy     
Fidelma Healy Eames     
Marie Moloney     
Marie Louise O’Donnell     
Averil Power     
Diarmuid Wilson