Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour)
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I welcome the Minister and the Minister of State. My contribution will be on the same themes. We are anxious that an assessment be ongoing within the Department of the damage that has been done to the educational experience of children and young people. Covid is still having a massive effect and influence on children's and young people's day-to-day educational experience. I would not want the Department to assume that the catch-up fund that has been introduced will be enough. Clearly, young people are still having difficulty in their young school lives. They are wearing masks from third class up, as per the public health advice, and at second level. The windows are open and teachers are continually absent. Even though that might not be reported on as much as it was in January, it is still a day-to-day reality. I would like to get a sense from the Minister of the continuing work the Department is doing to assess that damage that is being done, understanding all the while that it is absolutely important that schools remain open and that public health advice is followed. In that regard, does the Minister have a sense as to when the mask mandate, particularly in primary schools, may be lifted?

I am interested in what the Minister had to say about school secretaries. That matter should absolutely have been resolved by now and the Department should have been much more to the fore in getting it resolved. I am conscious of the SNAs and their campaign to have the minimum necessary qualifications to become SNAs increased. I would like to hear the Minister's views on that.

I wish to ask about school books. The Minister will know that I keep raising this issue because progress on it is very much achievable. Far too many parents in our school communities have discussions about money. Voluntary contributions are still a real part of school life. Management bodies say that if voluntary contributions were to be banned, there would be a €45 million hole in the day-to-day running needs of schools. We could just fill that and not have the need for voluntary contributions. As a politician, I am now already in the post-Covid restrictions era, getting communications from local schools that are holding fundraisers. They want support from their local Deputy to take out an advertisement and so on. I find it pathetic that schools must continually hold fundraisers for their running costs. It is appalling. It is ridiculous. We have to recast our brains totally as to what the normal function of a school is. Parents' associations are fundraising bodies. Principals are chasing money all the time. It is all about fundraising, money, asking parents for book money, etc. Given all that, I ask about a long-term vision for schools to be self-funded from the Department rather than having to ask parents for money or to have fundraising-type dynamics in school communities. That is just exhausting. If parents do not have the money, they feel as if they cannot engage fully in the school community. If they cannot pay the bills, are they going to go to school fundraiser? Unlikely.

I am sorry; I appreciate that my time is almost up. My main point is about school books. Parents in Northern Ireland do not pay for their children's school books. In fairness, the Minister has rolled out a scheme that benefits approximately 101 schools. The number went from 52 originally to 101. Does she have a vision, or is there a vision in her Department, to roll that out to every primary school and secondary school over time? I believe it would cost €20 million at primary level and €20 million at secondary level. That could change the whole dynamic such that principals are not chasing after parents for book money, parents are not running around trying to get books and the conversation becomes less about money and more about education. If they can do it in the North of Ireland, I am pretty sure we could do it here too.