Mr. Seán Ó Foghlú:

The issues the Deputy raises are valid.

We have the health advice and it does not suggest that children in normal circumstances in a school setting would use PPE. However, there may be a case for staff working closely with them to have PPE and the visor would be much preferable to the mask for the reasons the Deputy has set out. There may also be a need for some PPE for older children on school transport and that is referred to in the advice as well. We are looking at that and talking to Bus Éireann about that issue. The Deputy has raised an important issue that the mask in a teaching and learning setting cuts off the contact between the SNA or teacher and the student. A visor is probably a much more suitable use of PPE as it enables that connection to take place while also providing the appropriate protection for staff, which is important.