1465. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the estimated first and full-year cost associated with abolishing water-related expenses paid by schools, in the State; and the estimated cost of the State taking on these expenses. [63217/26]

My Department collates available data from school authorities as part of broader efforts to provide for an efficient and effective education system.

The Department currently analyses financial data relating to primary, voluntary secondary, and community and comprehensive schools. This information is derived from the annual financial returns submitted by schools to the Financial Support Services Unit (FSSU), a subset of which is subsequently provided to inform financial analysis and strategic decision-making. These data are subject to significant data quality limitations and does not include fee-charging or Education and Training Board schools.

While it is possible to collate the expenditure by many schools in 2024/25, due to a significant minority of schools not reporting water charges to the FSSU, it is not possible to confirm the estimated cost of eliminating water charges across the entire primary school network. I am committed to improving the quality of these data; officials of the Department are working with stakeholders to increase the accuracy?of these data.