Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. I confirm that I am in Leinster House.

The Revised Estimate states that €308 million, or an increase of €76 million for the remainder of the academic year, as been allocated. The €332 million that was allocated before the devastating third wave, which hit us in late December and early January and continues today, was allocated before we knew how slowly the vaccine would be rolled out. Is the additional funding enough? Is it enough based on the fact that the main strain of Covid with which patients present is the one from south-east England? Just before Christmas, it spread very rapidly through the school system there.

Is what we have here adequate to ensure that schools are safe and that all post-primary classes will be back on 12 April? How much additional funding will be available for September? What does this money enable schools to do that they could not do in September to address the new variant of Covid?