Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I will speak first about the case I have in mind, although anonymously with regard to the brass tacks. This SNA is high risk. I would deem the person to be very high risk in the ordinary meaning of the words, but the person has not met that threshold with Medmark Occupational Healthcare. The person's doctor, principal and the board of management agree that it is not safe for the person to return to school. However, due to the process in place, the person must go in every day and potentially risk the person's health in doing so or the person would have to take the decision to take a leave of absence. The principal was more than happy for the person to be paired with a medically vulnerable student - it would have suited everybody in the equation - to learn from home and for the learning to continue online in the instance of high infection in the community. I believe there is a rigidity in that regard. The overall philosophy regarding where one can attend and where it is safe for one to attend is right, but there is a rigidity in terms of the harder cases. I will return to that in my final contribution, but we need to consider it.

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