Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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816. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to consider providing air purifiers for classrooms for covid prevention; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59133/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Planning and Building Unit (PBU) of the Department of Education and Youth publish technical design guidance on requirements for indoor air quality and ventilation in new school buildings. This guidance is included across several documents available on the Department’s website on gov.ie.

The guidance emphasises the importance of good indoor air quality and ventilation as critical to the functioning of a teaching space. This includes guidance on the requirements for ventilation of all internal spaces in schools based on Part F of the Building Regulations as well as specific requirements for natural ventilation in schools. Since Covid, teaching spaces are fitted with Carbon Dioxide (CO2) monitors that include a LED display with a Traffic Light Display Indicator Range based on an Optimum Range <1500CO2 ppm (parts per million).

School Design Guidance Document SDG 03-TN01 published in March 2025 by the PBU with development support from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) under the Schools Pathfinder Programme, provides design and technical guidance relating to the installation of Mechanical Ventilation Heat Recovery (MVHR) in new and retrofit school building projects. This guidance requires that the MVHR unit is to be enabled once the CO2 levels in the room exceed 600ppm and the incoming fresh air is below 16°C. When the outside air temperatures is above 16°C, the unit will be held off and natural ventilation strategy is implemented by the teacher who will monitor the local traffic light unit which provides an indication of local CO2 levels.

The Department’s guidance also includes that room air cleaners or purifiers including HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter devices, may be considered in schools as an additional measure in conjunction with other methods of ventilation that are available. However, these devices are not a substitute for good ventilation and do not remove Carbon dioxide (CO2). HEPA devices require regular maintenance and periodic replacement of filters which can be time consuming and expensive. The noise impact of a specific device should also be considered.

The guidance on ventilation published by the Department of Education and Youth aligns with HSA code of Practice for indoor air quality.