Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

When the Minister and the Minister of State took up their new roles in the new Government they did not know what they were getting into. They faced many challenges. I acknowledge the officials in the Department of Education and, more importantly, the teaching staff, cleaners, secretaries and so on. In recent months, they have done a fantastic job of reopening schools and keeping them open.

I will pick up on Deputy Ó Laoghaire's point about school fund-raising. As we all know, this has been a very important part of school funding for many years. Parents are absolutely fantastic at taking part through cake sales and other means. Schools very much depend on these fund-raising efforts. Life will change in schools, as it will for everybody, and they will face more expense. We can expect to see hand gel and other precautions in school for evermore. They stop the spread of Covid-19 and have been proven to help prevent colds, flu and other illnesses. I would like to see hand gel continue to be available in schools going forward. Additional funding will be needed. We have spent a lot of money on Covid-19 measures in recent months. Does the Minister have plans to increase capitation funding for the next several years?

I would also like to pick up on the issue of school transport, which Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan raised. Urban Deputies might not understand this but it is a real bone of contention in rural Ireland. To reiterate Deputy O'Sullivan's point, a full review of school transport should be carried out. It is timely that we are spending more money on it now than in the past.

Perhaps the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, could comment on another issue. A huge amount of work has been done on special units in recent months. I know money is not an issue, but we should be very aware of the further expenses those units will face in the future.