Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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942. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department is providing CO2 monitors to schools ahead of the new school term; the cost of providing these monitors; and the tender process that was involved in same. [39290/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Managing classroom ventilation is one of a number of prevention and control measures in place to ensure schools are safe.

Practical steps for the deployment of good ventilation practices was provided to the school system in the context of re-opening for September 2020. This guidance recognises that there is no “one size that fits all” and that ventilation is best managed at local individual school level. The guidance was reviewed and updated in November 2020 and in May 2021.

The May 2021 update took account of the work of an expert group on ventilation that was established to assess the role of ventilation in reducing transmission of Covid-19 across many settings. This included guidance on the role that portable CO2 monitors can play in providing schools with a useful general indication that areas/ rooms may not be adequately ventilated and can enable occupants to become familiar with the impact of activities, outdoor weather and window openings on ventilation levels.

The Department is supporting the provision of CO2 monitors to the school system through a central competitive procurement process outlined below.

On 14 June 2020 the Department of Education and Skills published a Request for Information (RFI) to identify PPE, Consumables and Equipment Suppliers to support the education sector. This procurement was managed as a negotiated procedure under Article 32 for the 2016 Procurement Regulations in order to secure supplies in time to reopen the sector’s schools and institutions.

The process identified a number of suppliers that are capable of providing the suite of products required by the Government’s Roadmap for the Full Return to School and this is considered the most favourable solution to meet the aggregated needs of the number and geographic spread of educational institutions – including schools – right across the State. That procurement process concluded in July 2020 with supply agreements signed and the award notice published.

CO₂monitors for distribution across schools in advance of (and during) the forthcoming academic year, including output performance specifications, quantities and delivery requirements, have been procured by the Department following a competitive process under the PPE, Consumables and Equipment Supplier Framework at an estimated overall cost of circa €4 million.