Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for her reply but I am disappointed. Particular concerns have been raised by parents of children with special needs. When they return after what the Minister described as the "learning loss", it is important that they would be able to form bonds with people outside their family unit. I have been contacted by parents and teachers who feel left out of the plan. Staff members who are defined as "high risk" do not seem to be taken into account, aside from those who are at very high risk. There is a difference in the Health Service Executive definitions in this regard.

There seems to be very little detail in the plan for the parents of children with special needs or those who are immunocompromised, along with their families. Those pupils face a return to crowded classrooms so what will happen to them if they remain at home? The personal protective equipment and hygiene measures will fall short in schools packed to capacity. As we know, the average class size in Irish primary schools is 25, which can be compared with the European Union average of 20. In our county we have the largest percentage of children in classes of over 30 students. What will be in the plan to address such matters? We need newly-qualified permanent teachers as a priority.

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