Minister Joe O’Brien Welcomes Announcement of Schoolbook Payments to Primary and Special Schools in Fingal

28th April, 2023

Minister Joe O’Brien TD has today welcomed the announcement that payments totalling over €50 million are being made to primary schools and special schools across the country, including schools in Fingal, this week to provide free schoolbooks to pupils within the free education scheme from September 2023.

Welcoming the announcement, Joe O’Brien TD said:

“I am delighted to see that the payments to schools to facilitate free schoolbooks at primary level have started this week. This will make a huge difference to families in Fingal. It also shows the Green Party’s commitment not just to access to education, but to addressing the cost of living.

I am really pleased that parents of schoolchildren in our area will see the benefits of this change as soon as the next school year.”

The landmark new funding package secured in Budget 2023 will see free schoolbooks provided in all primary schools and special schools, in a permanent measure designed to ease some of the financial burden facing families with back-to-school costs.

Grant payments being made to schools this week will eliminate the cost to families for all schoolbooks, workbooks, and copybooks at primary school, including special schools.

The scheme will benefit more than 558,000 pupils nationally in approximately 3,230 primary schools, including over 130 special schools.

Schools will receive €96 in respect of each pupil enrolled, with the scheme involving a total spend of €53,584,032.

Guidance for schools and information for parents on how the new free schoolbooks scheme will operate has been published by the Department of Education online at this link.