School Textbooks

221. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Education and Youth regarding the issue of schools using laptops or electronic devices instead of physical textbooks, whether her Department can mandate schools to allow parents to choose whether they want their child to use physical school books rather than forcing them to purchase a specific device for the child’s schoolwork (details supplied); and…

60. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Youth her views on matters raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38125/25]

400. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of families in Kilkenny and Carlow that currently avail of the free schoolbooks scheme; the annual cost of this; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37278/25]

224. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Youth to simplify the tendering protocol for the free schoolbooks scheme to allow wider access to the scheme for independent bookstores; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36825/25]

458. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Education and Youth the role her Department has in ensuring the quality and curriculum integrity of schoolbooks sold to schools; if she will ensure that these books comply with the curriculum and ethos of the Department of Education and Youth. [34492/25]

694. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth the position regarding the free schoolbook scheme for students in Junior Cycle years; if consideration has been given to including private schools as part of this initiative; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30678/25]

204. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the allocation of funds set aside to provide to primary schools for new books and other required stationary for 2026 set out in the primary schoolbook scheme, in tabular form. [28221/25]

205. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the allocation of funds set aside to provide to post primary schools for new books and other required stationary for 2026 set out in the primary schoolbook scheme, in tabular form. [28222/25]

972. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Education the reason for the reduction of the funding allocated for the schoolbooks scheme, when in 2023 it was estimated that €96 per child was necessary to help schools to ensure the new curriculum could be implemented with the right teaching and learning aids; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20184/25]

227. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Education to consider extending the free schoolbooks scheme to include tablet devices at second level. [18228/25]

462. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education the total expenditure on public schoolbooks since the scheme was introduced, in tabular form. [16599/25]

224. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Education the total amount allocated under the schoolbook grant for each of the 2024/2025 and 2023/2024 school years. [16437/25]

225. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Education , based on her Department's survey of schools, the total number of books purchased by schools nationally under the schoolbooks scheme during each of the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school year; the percentage of books that were re-used in each of these years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16438/25]

226. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Education based on her Department's survey of schools, the total amount spent nationally under the schoolbook grant on workbooks for each of the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 and school years; the total number of workbooks procured nationally for each of those years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16439/25]

619. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education the position regarding the free schoolbooks scheme for students in Junior Cycle years; if consideration has been given to including private schools as part of this initiative; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11275/25]

621. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to concerns of small schoolbook retailers regarding the knock-on impact of the free schoolbooks scheme that has seen schools engage directly with suppliers; if her Department has engaged with representatives of this sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11277/25]

23. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Education if she will provide an update on the roll-out of the post-primary schoolbooks scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8597/25]

501. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education the steps she is taking to ensure that only strictly age-appropriate teaching material is communicated to pupils at primary level; if she is aware of the concerns expressed by parents on this issue, which were communicated to her predecessor; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3410/25]