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

The ability of schools to function well is a priority for us all. However, pretending there are no problems helps no one. Three weeks ago, I asked the Government to introduce a revised form of contact tracing. That is still not in place. We also have an extremely serious substitution crisis, which is debilitating schools. One principal gave an example of 11 rejections from the substitute seeker programme in nine days. Principals are cancelling board of management meetings and continuous professional development training. All the local solutions that are being talked about have been exhausted by principals. There are other options. Banked hours can be reinstated, lengthy block booking of substitutes can be discouraged and panels can be extended to the whole country. Does the Taoiseach accept there is a crisis in substitution in schools - that is my primary question - and what actions will the Government take to resolve it?

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