Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

We have taken very extensive measures to protect children, and the grant we provided this December is not the first grant. A €5 million outdoor play grant was provided in June of last year, and just short of €30 million was provided for a reopening grant in August 2020, around the time I entered this role, to support the reopening of services following the initial large-scale closure. Very significant capital grants have been provided to childcare facilities all over the country to make them ready and to make those services safe, and I know providers have implemented that. I have been in childcare facilities. I have seen the differences, the screens and the various provisions that have been put in place. I have spoken to some providers in my own constituency about the HEPA filter grant. They appreciated that additional support and the extra security and public health safety it provided. It is not bureaucratic; we have made this available as quickly as possible to providers. That is certainly the response I have got back from them.

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