Bookselling Ireland

Lobbying Organisation Bookselling Ireland

Date published 21 May, 2023

Relevant Matter Public policy or programme

Public Policy Area Education and Training

Period 1 Jan, 2023 to 30 Apr, 2023

Specific Details Provision of free schoolbooks to primary school children, as announced in September 2022 in Budget 2023

Intended results A meeting with the Minister To reiterate our support for the principle of the programme To offer assistance in developing a workable mechanism for delivering the programme To emphasise the importance of schoolbook sales to the survival of bookshops, especially in rural areas and small towns

Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity Dawn Behan, Chair of Bookselling Ireland

Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?) No

Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign? Yes

What is the directive you gave to the grassroots campaigners? 14/02/23: Request to Bookselling Ireland members to contact their local TDs by email or letter, raising concerns about the implementation of the Free Primary School Book Scheme and the potential effect it could have on bookshops.

Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client? No

Lobbying activity

The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.

Email (2-5)

15/01/23: follow up email to D. Newcombe further to 14/12 meeting 24/02/23: Email to Minister for Education N. Foley outlining range of questions, recommendations & risks relating to free primary school book scheme cc to the following : L. Varadkar, M. Martin, S. Coveney, N. Richmond, E. Ryan, D. Calleary, N. Collins, J. Madigan, C. Martin 10/02/23: email to D. Shanley requesting info regarding draft guidelines release 15/03/23: mail to D. Shanley reiterating request for draft guidelines

Meeting (1)

07/02/23: Face to Face meeting - Aoife Roantree (attended virtually), Dawn Behan and Cian Byrne met with Dept Education officials Deirdre Shanley, Grainne Egan and Maria Smith at Dept. of Education offices in Athlone

Designated public officials lobbied

The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them. As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.

Deirdre Shanley Assistant Secretary (Department of Education)

Josepha Madigan Minister of State (Department of Education)

Norma Foley Minister (Department of Education)

Neale Richmond Minister of State (Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment)

Dara Calleary Minister of State (Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment)

Eamon Ryan Minister (Department of Environment, Climate and Communications)

Niall Collins Minister of State (Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science)

Catherine Martin Minister (Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media)

Simon Coveney Minister (Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment)

Leo Varadkar Taoiseach (Department of the Taoiseach)

Micheál Martin Tánaiste and Minister (Department of Foreign Affairs)