292. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Youth to set out the public procurement frameworks, dynamic purchasing systems or national agreements currently available to schools for the purchase of educational software licences and cloud services; the identity of the suppliers on those frameworks; whether the Department or the Office of Government Procurement has negotiated volume discounts or education-specific pricing with any of those suppliers; and the total value of purchases made by schools from each framework supplier using ICT grant funding in the last three years. [75129/26]

295. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to the grant scheme for ICT Infrastructure, whether the Department holds, or can obtain from schools or education and training boards, data on the value of expenditure made from ICT grant funding with companies or product families (details supplied) in each of the last five years; and any other learning platform or educational application on which more than €100,000 was spent in any one year; in tabular form. [75126/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 292 and 295 together.

The provision and use of digital devices and software in schools is a matter for the board of management, having regard to their unique circumstances, educational programmes and the needs of their students. Schools are best placed to determine how technology can support teaching and learning in their settings.

Department guidance states that schools should support equitable access to ICT for all students and may provide school managed devices on loan to students (via device loan schemes) where required. Schools are also advised to consult with parents and the wider school community when developing technology policies that may involve costs for families. Schools have flexibility to use their ICT grants to meet local priorities, including infrastructure and maintenance, within available resources.

Under the Office of Government Procurement (OGP) a full list of available frameworks across a range of devices including laptops, Desktops tablets and remanufactured laptops, can be found on the OGP buyerzone website at [OGP].

In addition, ASIERA brokerage offer a range of frameworks for the education sector across a range of devices which can be access at, [https://www.heanet.ie/brokerage-products-suppliers].

Centrally arranged ICT frameworks enable schools to procure technology solutions efficiently, compliantly and at competitive prices while reducing administrative burden, providing access to pre-qualified suppliers, improving standardisation and supporting the secure and effective delivery of digital learning.

To further assist school through the department funded Schools Procurement Unit (SPU), which offers advice and guidance on all procurement aspects. In addition, provides advice and guidance on traversing the relevant procurement requirements and frameworks from service providers such as the OGP/ASIERA etc. to source the best value for money while delivering on the schools need and requirement.

The Digital Strategy for Schools to 2027 does not mandate or prescribe the use of any particular devices or technologies in teaching and learning, rather it advocates for the deeper embedding of digital technologies in teaching and learning to develop digital literacy and competence, critical thinking and collaborative practice. It is not merely focused on using digital devices as an alternative to physical textbooks or resources.

Through the digital strategy, schools are directly funded for ICT and have autonomy to determine which infrastructure and devices (including tablets or laptops) are implemented, in line with their Digital Learning Plans. Schools must also have acceptable usage policies in place and may use ICT funding to support new curricula and assessment.

Schools in receipt of ICT Infrastructure Grant funding are required to utilise the funding in accordance with the terms and conditions as set out in the relevant Department circulars and in support of their Digital Learning Plans. Under the ICT infrastructure Grant Scheme, each school is required to have a Digital Learning Plan, based on a whole-school approach, which should be reviewed and updated annually and used to guide expenditure of the grant funding.