Uniform costs - Schools have the power

The gathering storm surrounding the high cost of school uniforms has taken a welcome twist with the commonsense call by Education Minister Ruairí Quinn for children to be supplied with a generic outfit.

The admission that he is powerless to intervene in this controversy puts the ball firmly in the court of school principals and managers.

A Northern Ireland solution worth considering would be to iron the various school crests on uniforms, thus reducing some of the financial burden on parents.