Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. My next question is for the Minister and it relates to the return of schools. Fifth-year students will return on Monday week, as will the remainder of national school classes. The Minister will appreciate that for children in first to fourth year at secondary level, a return date of 12 April, which is six weeks away, is a long time to wait. Can she offer an assurance to those students and their parents that if things improve, the return date will be kept under review? The Minister would acknowledge that children have been damaged by not being back at school. Public health advice is paramount but we also have to take into account the health concerns of children, which include not just physical health concerns but the other health concerns associated with their development.