Mr. John Boyle:

We have not been happy from the very beginning. Schools were closed in Northern Ireland the Friday after we closed. During that week, there was heightened anxiety because some teachers work on both sides of the Border. Many teachers who are substituting on either side ended up getting no payment whatsoever during the crisis because they did not qualify on either side. We still hope this will be worked through.

With regard to safety, in many respects the Republic of Ireland's Department is ahead in terms of planning and preparation for reopening because it has the Covid-19 school response plan. Ironically, however, the Northern Ireland schools are due to open a few days before ours. There are major differences in the way the sectors work. We have a direct funding system. It is totally inadequate in that there is €1 per day for a child in a primary school. This is hardly enough to get a bottle of hand sanitiser in the current climate. Be that as it may, it is central. In Northern Ireland, however, the school budget is given to a school and it has to make do with it. It is dependent on a lot of money coming across from London. Therefore, there are differences in the approach but it is incumbent on the new Government to have joined-up thinking on this island. We take great pride in the fact that ours is a 32-county organisation. We want our members, no matter what side of the Border they are working on, and the children and their families to be kept safe. I hope there will be a lot more work done in the weeks ahead, while the schools are closed, to get that sorted for September.