Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I cannot say for certain whether the Deputy will get those details next week. The Minister for Education and Skills will be here next week and she will be able to answer questions. I am sure she is more up to date than I am on the issue of schools reopening.

While do not know everything about this virus by any means, we have learned a lot in the past few months about it. For example, we have learned that opening schools is on the lower of the spectrum of risk. NPHET has been clear about that and the science backs it up, which is significant. This virus does affect children but not as severely as it affects adults. They are not super spreaders in the way they can be with influenza. We know that opening schools is at the lower end of the spectrum in terms of risk. We have been able to open childcare and that paediatrics services have continued to function. There is no reason schools should not be able to reopen at the end of August. Schools in countries that have a higher incidence of the virus have already reopened. I refer, for example, to Germany, where schools reopened in June, and France, where they reopened before that.

It will not be the same; it will be different. It will be a new normal or, at least, a new normal for the duration of this pandemic. I understand that parents want to know what that looks like. They want that information and they deserve it. We will share that as soon as we have it. However, we want to make sure that the information is right. We all appreciate that mixed and changing messages do not constitute a good communication strategy. We want to get it right and ensure that the information is out there in good time, is clear and does not change.

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