Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I will accept written replies as there are a number of matters I wish to raise with the Minister. I ask him for clarity on the reopening of schools. In this crisis parents are trying to balance their household finances with their responsibilities for the health, safety and education of their children. These are just some of the concerns of some of the parents in my constituency in Tipperary, and they do not need uncertainty right now. Unfortunately, uncertainty seems to be the rule rather than exception when it comes to messages being issued by the Department. Will the Minister provide some clarity today on the reopening of schools?

Is the Minister prepared to give a precise date for the reopening? Will he tell parents what criteria are being used to determine that date? Are schools being consulted on the matter? With regard to children returning to school, will the Minister dispense with the uncertainty about social distancing in those settings? Does he intend to implement the recommendations of the State's health experts in this regard or will he act in other ways, as has been indicated recently, taking a political approach by applying different or no social distancing rules in schools? If social distancing is to be implemented, will the Department provide extra staff to schools to help with temperature checks and cleaning of classrooms, common areas, etc.?

Parents and teachers have contacted me with concerns about student mental health issues that arise because they have been out of school for such a long period, as well as the uncertainty that may arise on the return to school. They have raised the issue of the number of counselling hours and pastoral care that schools have. Will the Minister commit to increasing these hours in schools to help students who require such a service?

The mixed messaging must stop and the Minister must be decisive and clear about his plans for the education sector. Parents, teachers and teacher unions demand clarity and I urge the Minister not to let them down. Will he commit to extending the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance to parents who have not met the means testing requirements in the past but have seen a drop in their income or are in receipt of the pandemic unemployment payment or a payment under the wage subsidy scheme?

Following the Minister's announcement on 5 June that the July provision programme had been extended to include children with Down's syndrome, I was contacted by a number of parents who are extremely upset and angry because of some of the details the Minister failed to mention. He failed to tell us there would be a distinction between those who are attending preschool, primary school and post-primary school. Parents of children with Down's syndrome were in complete shock when the details of the July provision were released. Why were all children with Down's syndrome not included in the programme? Will the Minister confirm or deny that if these children had been included, it would only have cost an extra €1 million?

Has the Minister seen the recent Economic and Social Research Institute report that suggests longer school days and Saturday schooling for students currently in fifth year? This will put added pressure on students who are already facing an extremely difficult year. What is the view of the Minister and his Department on the report? We all agree that young people are our future and they need certainty. I ask that the Minister give clarity.

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