Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I am going to try to take four and a half minutes back and forth with the Minister and ensure I leave two minutes for Deputy Mick Barry.

The return to school has been a double-edged sword for our society. On the one hand, there is the sense of joy and relief for children, their parents and teachers about going back but on the other, there is trepidation and fear. That is because we still have a high rate of Covid-19 infection in the community and these things are linked; they are not separate. We therefore need to be careful about the mantra that schools are safe without delving into what that means.

I have heard the Minister attempt to answer the question on whether vulnerable and pregnant teachers are expected back to school on 15 March a couple of times.

I am asking her to give me not a vague and ambiguous answer, but a "Yes" or "No" answer. Are pregnant and vulnerable teachers expected to return to school on 15 March?

I refer to the cohort of 500 families, known as the forgotten families, who were refused supports by the Department because they had vulnerable family members at home and did not send their children to school for the past ten months. They have been given no supports whatsoever. Will the Department continue to refuse to give these children supports, including online supports, at home? I ask the Minister to answer "Yes" or "No" to that question as well.

Has she read the report published by Parents United Ireland, entitled There is Nothing Positive about Positivity Rates in Schools? It shows that there was a tenfold increase in positivity rates from August to December of last year. If she has not read it, will she do so?

What physical improvements has the Department made in schools since they were closed in December? In other words, has it provided extra space for social distancing? Has it increased staffing levels, including teachers and SNAs? Has it improved ventilation in the 80% of schools that have poor and inadequate ventilation? What supports will it provide for parents and children who are fearful about returning to schools which have proved not to be safe?

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