Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their presentations. I want to ask about high-risk teachers. It seems absolutely scandalous that teachers with significant underlying conditions are being compelled to go back to work in circumstances where their doctors or consultants are saying it is unsafe to do so. There does not seem to be any guarantee that this issue has been dealt with or that the likelihood of their being compelled to return will not arise. Ms Piggott was quoted in The Irish Times. She referred to one teacher who is battling acute leukaemia, Type 2 diabetes, asthma, anaemia and an autoimmune disorder and who was told to return to work after obtaining a risk assessment. In a letter, the individual in question wrote that he feels like a turkey waiting for Christmas. In regard to that case, does Ms Piggott know if the teacher is still being compelled to return to work or is there an appeals process? I wish her to confirm that she is aware of multiple cases where the advice of doctors or consultants has been overruled by a private company, Medmark, in the context of teachers being compelled to go back to work.