Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent)
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232. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of schools per county that have high-efficiency particulate absorbing, HEPA, filters installed in classrooms in tabular form. [62905/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Managing ventilation is one of a suite of public health measures in place to keep our schools safe. Updated guidance for schools on Practical Steps for the Deployment of Good Ventilation Practices in Schools was provided in 2021 following the work of an expert group that carefully considered the role of ventilation in managing COVID-19. The updated guidance for schools is also fully in line with the most recent guidance on non-healthcare building ventilation during COVID-19, published by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre in January 2022 and general advice on preventing the spread of COVID-19 in non-healthcare settings published by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre in May 2022. gov.ie - Guidance on Ventilation in Schools (gov.ie).

The Departments Guidance is clear that where the recommended measures in the Practical Steps and poor ventilation continues to exist in a particular room/area, air cleaners may be considered as an additional measure in conjunction with other methods of ventilation that are available. This is line with Expert Group guidance which identifies that in areas with poor ventilation that structural interventions and measures to increase natural ventilation should be completed. Where such structural interventions or measures are not possible in the short term, that consideration should be given to using stand-alone HEPA filter devices in poorly ventilated spaces pending the completion of structural interventions.

You may be aware the Department of Education provided additional support in the context of Covid-19 the payment of a minor works grant totalling €45m for primary schools and special schools, plus a once-off Covid-19 minor works funding of €17m for post-primary schools in December 2021. There is no one solution that fits all scenarios, each school requires bespoke analysis and an appropriate ventilation solution matched to the specific room size and volume. Given that each school setting is different, individual schools are best placed to decide how best to use this funding to address their particular needs in line with the Department’s Guidance. In this context the requirements for each school is determined locally by schools, who may get specific advice/assistance of a Chartered Engineer or Registered Architect on the appropriate measures they should take for enhancing ventilation. Engagement with the market for meeting their needs is managed directly by schools at local level and records of air filtration systems purchased by the schools are not returned to the Department.

To date 34 schools have applied for additional funding under the emergency works scheme to assist with ventilation. Of these, 22 have been approved, 2 were incorrectly classified as ventilation-related and assessed separately, 7 were rejected as the application form was not fully completed and 2 are waiting for schools to revert with additional information. One school is still under assessment as our Technical Department need to visit the school. None of these applications were for the funding of Hepa filters.

In conclusion the Departments approach on good ventilation in schools, as part of a layered strategy of protective measures to control the spread of the virus, is fully consistent with the Expert Group recommendations on good practices, the use of portable CO2 monitors and the targeted deployment of HEPA air filter devices where necessary for poorly ventilated areas.