Mr. Andy Pike:

I will respond on the questions the Senator put to Fórsa. We have anecdotal accounts of staff self-isolating in certain locations having received positive test results. There are significant confidentiality and general data protection regulation, GDPR, issues associated with that. Suffice to say, there does not appear to be a cluster of schools or a trend that we have picked up whereby there is a significant risk to health and safety over and above everywhere else but it is worth keeping an eye on.

In respect of pay equality for school secretaries and caretakers, I should thank Senator O'Reilly, Senator O'Loughlin, Deputy Ó Ríordáin and many other past and present members of the committee for their support for the campaign to regularise the employment status of secretaries and caretakers. An agreement was reached and a clear commitment was given by the Tánaiste on 8 October. That was followed up at the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, with an agreement to regularise the pay, conditions and pension provision of both groups, which is real progress. We hope to conclude an agreement by mid-February to get that subject to a ballot of members in the spring, with a view to implementation at the start of the next school year. We hope that negotiations will be co-operative and that both the Department of Education and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform will not seek to obstruct progress and will honour the commitment the Government has given. The committee could keep an eye on whether, in particular, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform will honour the clear commitment that was given by the Tánaiste on 8 October on behalf of all the Government parties.