Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses. I acknowledge the nervousness and worry of parents and students over the past weeks as schools have started back. I also want to focus on the positives.

It is good to see them interacting with their friends and maybe getting back to some sort of normality. A large number of schools have done their very best over the past while. There have been teething problems, and we should acknowledge that.

I want to pay particular tribute to Gaelscoil Osraí in Kilkenny, which held a meeting about a week before school resumed. A GP and, I understand, a child psychotherapist were in attendance for the benefit of parents. I thought that was an excellent idea. There was a follow-up Zoom call with my child's class teacher. I thought that was excellent.