Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy should be under no illusions that at every stage and every step I, the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, and the Department have taken a collaborative approach. When talks have not worked out, I have always committed to re-engagement at the earliest of opportunities and that is exactly what is happening at present.

The issues raised by the Deputy are similar to those raised by his colleague, to which I already replied. There is no such thing as a 40% cut in PPE. It seems to be an issue that despite the clarifications and clear information that has been given, certain individuals continue to perpetuate that untruth. I will reiterate once again that the 40% we were talking about was for start-up costs in terms of the provision of PPE, which included roll-out costs of putting in hand sanitiser units, additional furniture that might be required in schools, signage and whatever else. Additional moneys were made available for that. Equally, additional moneys were made available because the first term was 25% longer than this present term. Therefore, when one takes all that into consideration there is absolutely no cut in the PPE funding. There was never a question of funding for PPE or otherwise. The Deputy will appreciate that more than €639 million has been expended. It is the highest budget of money for any remediation and mitigation purposes in our schools and has been made available freely. There has never been a question of resources.

In terms of serial testing, I say quite clearly to the Deputy that we have followed the public health advice at every step of the way. Should the public health team request that, we will certainly do it. Every time it has asked for a new introduction of measures, we have done that.

The Deputy raised childcare and other issues in terms of his community. I know exactly how the communities are feeling. Communities want to see children with additional needs back in schools. As I said in my opening remarks, I appreciate this is a time of high anxiety for everyone. I come from a family that is heavily invested in the education sector and carries out a variety of different roles. I know exactly how they are feeling but I also know they are fully committed to making education available to children with additional needs. I will work constructively, as will the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, to ensure that happens.

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