Budget 2023: Free schoolbooks 'a step in the right direction'

Free schoolbooks were the 'number one priority' identified by families who took part in the latest Barnardos Back to School survey.

Free schoolbooks for primary school children is a step in the right direction towards a “truly” free education system but other targeted measures announced today will also be crucial to helping parents.

That’s according to social justice advocates ahead of Budget 2023, which is expected to announce schoolbooks will be made free for primary school children at a cost of €47m. The move has been welcomed by the national children’s charity Barnardos.