Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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403. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of updating the safety in school science guidelines. [37292/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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My Department has produced a number of documents in relation to safety in school laboratories, including Safety in School Science and Safety in the School Laboratory. These set out the key principles of safety in a science laboratory. The fundamentals of safe science practice in schools remain constant and schools are supported to embed safe practice through these documents and guidelines.

The Health & Safety Authority (HSA), in collaboration with the education sector, has also produced detailed guidelines that provide practical assistance to school authorities including advice and recommendations on how to implement and operate Health & Safety, including Fire Safety, systems in their schools. The HSA website provides a number of useful resources for schools, including one published in 2024, for primary and post primary school staff and post primary school students to raise awareness of the safe use and management of chemicals in schools.

Oide, the support service for teachers, also provide support and training for teachers on safe science practice in schools. Most recently, in March 2025, Oide provided the webinar “An Introduction to Laboratory Safety in Schools,” aimed at post-primary teachers. The recorded webinar is available for teachers to access on Oide’s website.

The Board of Management of a School or Education and Training Board (ETB) is responsible, as employer, for ensuring, so far as is reasonably practicable, the safety, health and welfare at work of its employees and of those directly affected by the work activities of the school.

Every Board of Management and ETB is required by law to have a safety statement for its school/s. The safety statement is a live written document which contains the detail of how safety, health and welfare is managed in a school. It includes the school structures, planning activities, practices, procedures, and resources for implementing and maintaining safety, health and welfare.

Monitoring compliance with best practice safety protocols is part of the ongoing management of a school and the costs associated with ensuring safety in school settings relate to the staff time involved in that regard. Similarly, the development or revision of guidance documentation would have associated staff costs relevant any such work undertaken.

Individual school authorities are best placed on a day-to-day basis to monitor safety and associated costs and ensure that their Health & Safety systems and practices will contribute to ensuring that schools are safe and suitable environments for the entire school community.