Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Last night, the Minister was asked about HEPA filters in schools. He pointed to opening windows and doors. Teachers have contacted me. I was sent a photograph of a teacher who was teaching in a school last week and it was 3°C in the classroom. The Government was asleep during the summer and for the past six months when filters and CO2 monitors should have been put in. The whole area of area filtration in schools should have been tackled. For 12 months we were told schools were safe, but then at 6 p.m. yesterday evening we were told that, by this morning, every child would need to wear a face mask. Where is the consultation with unions and parents? Every parent wants to ensure the safety of his or her child and for the child to be able to attend school, but the Government has done nothing for the past 12 months to ensure schools are made safe. It is talking about personal responsibility, but where is the responsibility of the Government? Did it sit down and discuss the matter with the unions?

I am on the board of management of a primary school. On Monday, we had a meeting at which we had to cancel the school nativity play and move it online, but 50,000 people can go into a stadium and watch a match. That is the complete chaos the Government is overseeing. The problem is the measures do not make sense. People will follow the public health advice but the problem is the Minister is not making sense and neither are the decisions of the Government.

In the context of keeping workplaces safe, I believe that when a person is told to self-isolate, he or she should be able to access the Covid payment. However, what is happening is that such people are being asked to show their positive result. The problem is it could be two or three days before they receive that result. All present are aware of the current waiting times for testing and getting the results back. Ordinary people cannot afford to be down two, three or four days' wages while waiting on results. If we want to keep workplaces safe, we need people to self-isolate while awaiting a test or results and they will only do that if they can afford it. Many people cannot afford to go without their wages.

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