Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I propose an amendment to the Order of Business, to move No. 18 before No. 71, motion 7 on the Order Paper. I concur with the Cathaoirleach's remarks in regard to the passing of former Fianna Fáil Minister of State and Teachta Dála, Dr. Seán McCarthy. On behalf of the Fianna Fáil Party, I extend our deepest sympathies to his family, friends and community and I wish them well in this very difficult time for them.

I want to raise two points this morning. The first point relates to the survey by the Irish League of Credit Unions on the cost of attending primary and secondary school in this State.It found that more than a quarter of parents get into debt going back to school because of the high costs. The estimated cost of sending a child to primary school now is €1,200 per year, while the estimated cost of sending a child to secondary school is €1,500 per year. The cost of purchasing books is the most significant financial burden on parents. It averages approximately €200 annually per child. If a family has more than one child in school, it is a significant burden. The cost of extracurricular activities, in particular for primary school students, comes in at almost €200 as well, which adds a significant financial burden, especially so for families with more than one child.

The survey has found that many parents are using credit cards or other forms of credit to pay for the cost of going back to school, which is a significant problem that we need to address. Some schools do book rental schemes and others do not. The Minister for Education must examine the situation. Schools should be encouraged to a point, and then they should be asked to implement book rental schemes because that would ease the burden on so many parents and families across the State. I cannot understand how some schools can manage it and others cannot. The burden on parents could be a topic we might discuss in the new term.

The second issue I wish to discuss is the reopening of the hospitality sector, which is a hot topic and one that we discuss regularly. It is welcome to see that hospitality is opening in some form. It is not a full reopening for everybody. I have significant issues with the suggestion that somebody who has not had an opportunity to get a vaccine would be excluded from hospitality but would be allowed to work in the sector. There is an anomaly in that regard. I take note that the Government has changed slightly in that antigen testing will form part of the phase 3 reopening of hospitality so there is some movement in that respect.

Figures were released yesterday which indicate that if we had the same death rate as the EU average, then 3,200 more citizens would be dead in this country. If we had the same death rate as the UK, more than 4,000 more Irish citizens would be dead as of today. We should commend the Government on that front in terms of handling the Covid pandemic situation very well in terms of protecting lives, which is clearly the top priority of the Government.

We need clarity on two issues: the first relates to the CMO’s remarks yesterday that it is not advisable for young children to access indoor dining. We must be very careful, as there are many lone parents and families that have children of different ages. We require clarity on the comment. What we do not want is what happened at the beginning of the pandemic when it was suggested that children were super spreaders and people became afraid of children, which was a ridiculous situation. We do not want there to be any judgment or a frosty reception if a lone parent in particular brings a child to dine. We must get clarity on that.

The second and final issue relates to the timing of the introduction of antigen testing. When will phase 3 take effect?