Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It has come to my attention in the past week or so that a number of college students with Covid symptoms who were feeling unwell have not had a PCR test and continue to attend class despite the guidelines. Colleges need to support us in tackling Covid this time around. I have been told of instances where professors and lecturers have refused to post notes online or have made it mandatory for students to attend lectures. It is fantastic that students can attend lectures once again and experience college life, which we all enjoyed while we were there. However, colleges need to adapt and encourage students, where necessary, to stay at home and isolate. They also need to put alternative learning mechanisms in place. Colleges must accommodate students who cannot attend lectures by using technology to livestream lectures for anyone who is isolating at home.

I raise the issue of the Irish Athletic Boxing Association, IABA, which I mentioned last Tuesday. In the past 48 hours, the organisation has suspended one county board and two provincial councils. Elections will take place at the end of this month and the IABA has decided within the last 48 hours to suspend a significant number of the people who were nominated by the clubs to participate in these elections. The Minister of State, Deputy Jack Chambers, must take a hold of this matter. We live in a democracy, not a dictatorship. In all sporting and political organisations, it is the members who decide who will run the organisation. The actions of the IABA are outrageous and must be dealt with.