Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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304. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will permit one-to-one piano lessons for educational purposes in private homes under the current level 5 restrictions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1154/21]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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The Government’s Living with COVID-19 Plan sets out how services should operate at five different levels. The country is at present at Level 5 of this Plan and this applies nationally.  The Level 5 restrictions will remain in place until midnight on 31 January 2021.

At Level 5, the public health risk means that people are being asked to stay at home, except for travel for work, education or other essential purposes, or to take exercise within 5km of home. There will be no gatherings other than small numbers at funerals and weddings. No indoor or outdoor exercise group activities, including those involving children, should take place.

Under Level 5, music tuition should take place online only.Furthermore no visitors are permitted in private homes or gardens except for essential family reasons such as providing care to children, elderly or vulnerable people, or as part of a support bubble.  Tuition and lessons of any sort for any purpose are not permitted in private homes.

Further details of these restrictions can be accessed on the gov.ie website at the following link

It is recognised that this decision will have an impact on people’s lives and livelihoods, but the clear message is that we must all now stay at home, with the exception of essential purposes, in order to stop the spread of the virus. Level 5 of the Plan for Living with COVID-19 means that the virus poses a serious threat and the rate of infection is increasing significantly in the community.  The more we work together to reduce the level of the virus, the more activity we will be able to have in our communities.

Supports such as the PUP and the CRSS will continue to be made available to those impacted. The Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) is also available to help maintain people in jobs.Further details of the range of government supports available to help businesses impacted by the COVID-19 crisis can be viewed at the following link .