For the record, Questions on Promised Legislation also includes questions on matters relating to the programme for Government. That has traditionally been the way here.

We have nobody from the Independent Group. I call Deputy Griffin.

I want to raise with the Minister the Right to Read Campaign by Children's Books Ireland. This is a campaign to restore the school library fund. The budget previously included a grant to help schools stock their school libraries but this was cut in 2008. It has not been restored since. There is a great opportunity now with the forthcoming budget to restore that grant. It is very important.

Reading really does matter to children. It is hugely important in their lives. I say that as a father of two young readers, as someone who has written books for children and someone who has taught children. It really makes a difference.

Approximately €5.6 million would allocate €10 in respect of every primary school child in the country and the Minister really would be bringing the books to the children. We have great public libraries but they do not catch all children. This is a great opportunity for a relatively small amount and I ask the Minister to give it serious consideration in the context of the forthcoming budget.

I thank Deputy Griffin for raising this issue. As the Deputy will be aware, the Minister for Education and the Government generally place great priority on the issue of literacy and encouraging children and, indeed, adults to constantly upskill and enjoy the undoubted benefits of reading. I note that the issue of local authority librarians providing services for primary schools is an important one.

The Minister for Education is conscious of the importance of library services. The Minister for Rural and Community Development, Deputy Humphreys, has responsibility for the support and provision of funding for library services. Therefore, I will take up the issue with both Ministers in the context of what the Deputy has raised.