Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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582. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated weekly, monthly and annual cost of providing an antigen test daily to each SNA at primary and secondary level in the State. [58690/21]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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583. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated weekly, monthly and annual cost of providing an antigen test daily to each teacher at primary and secondary level in the State. [58691/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 582 and 583 together.

There are currently no plans to conduct a programme such as that described in these questions and therefore no estimates have been calculated as to potential costs. In any event, if such a programme was to be conducted, it would be a matter for the Minister for Education. In terms of public health support to schools, the Minister for Education is running a scheme, with the assistance of the HSE, in which antigen tests will be made available to the children in a primary school pod, where a child in the pod has had a PCR test that detected COVID-19. Where two or more confirmed cases of COVID-19 occur in a class, within a seven-day period, outside of a single pod, antigen testing will be offered to the full class. Teachers and SNAs working closely with children in a pod or classroom where there is a confirmed case or cases may also avail of antigen testing through this programme.