David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome our two guests and thank them for their presentation, especially Mr. McDonnell who said at the beginning that he felt a bit unwell. I hope he will recover. It is wise of him to work from home and it is good advice for people who feel unwell that they should not go to their office or place of work.

As many as 6,000 children tested positive in the first week of November. Some of the parents of those children have contacted me to let me know they had to stay home to mind their children. Will Mr. McDonnell tell me whether that situation has had an impact on small businesses? One parent who contacted me told me she would not get paid while she stayed home to care for her child. How do we deal with these situations, especially as the number of children becoming ill is increasing?