Rose Conway-Walsh Questions Extra Covid Funding for Schools
Rose Conway-Walsh questioned whether revised Covid funding for schools is sufficient to address the new variant and to safely return post-primary classes on 12 April. She sought clarity on what the additional money enables schools to do now and what further funding will be available for September.
Funding figures
The deputy noted revised estimates show 308 million euros for 2021 - an increase of 76 million for the remainder of the academic year. She also recalled an earlier allocation of 331/332 million for 2020, while the minister stated that over 639 million was made available for the entire school year (331 million in 2020 and 308 million in 2021).
Safety and variants
The deputy asked whether the extra funding is adequate given the spread of the new variant described as the British - South East strain and whether it ensures schools are safe. She specifically queried whether all post-primary classes can return on 12 April and what the funding allows schools to do now that they could not do in December.
Outbreaks and testing data
The minister replied that public health has overseen a stringent review of mitigation measures and that outbreaks in schools have been at a very low level. Close-contact testing showed a positivity rate of 2.4% compared with community rates in excess of 10%. The minister cited reports, including from Professor Philip Nolan, noting increases among young people but no evidence of detection or transmissibility within school environments.
Operational measures and oversight
The minister emphasised that enhanced school teams and extended levels of testing are in place and that adjudication of outbreak figures and safety must be left to public health experts. The deputy pressed for outputs and outcomes tied to the funding, including how many outbreaks have occurred since schools reopened in 2021.
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Thank you Cahirleach and thank you Minister and I confirm that I'm here in Leinster House. The revised estimates as states that there's now 308 million in Covid are an increase of 76 million for the remainder of the academic year. The 332 million that was allocated before the devastating third wave that hit in late December and early January and obviously that continues today. It was also allocated before we knew how slowly the vaccine would be rolled out. So my question is in around, is the additional funding enough? Is it enough based on the fact that we have such, that the strain of Covid that presents now is, the main strain of Covid that presents is the British one, the South East one. And we saw that in England and in the South East spread just before Christmas very rapidly through the school system there. So is what we have here adequate enough to ensure that schools are safe? Is this enough to ensure that all post-primary classes will be back on the 12th of April? And how much additional funding will be available for September? So basically what does this money, what extra does this money enable schools to do that they couldn't do say coming up to December to address the new variant of Covid? That's my first question. Thank you. Thank you Deputy. As you're aware and as I have outlined, over 639 million was made available for the entire school year. 331 million of it in 2020 and 308 million for 2021. Just in terms of, we'll say new mitigation measures or the processes going forward for this particular part of the year, I want to assure you, as indeed I have said previously, all of the measures that are currently in place and have been advised to be in place have been overseen by public health. A very stringent review of the mitigation measures in place was undertaken prior to the return to school and the phase reopening of our schools, whether for our special schools or our primary schools or indeed for our fifth and sixth years and now, as I say, moving forward for the... Maybe I could just ask you because I'm trying to get at the outputs and the outcomes of how much is invested here. How many outbreaks have there been in the schools since the beginning of 2021? So since they opened, how many have we had? Well, what we have been told in relation to what I can tell you in relation to the outbreaks is that the outbreaks as determined by public health have been at a very low level. In fact, we have been told that the close contact testing results at a positivity rate of 2.4%. When you compare that to what we have in wider community, which is in excess of 10%. We've also been told, and I'm sure you probably heard the reports yourself by Professor Philip Nolan, where there has been an increase amongst young people. We have not seen that detection or transmissibility within our school environments. And that was confirmed as latest yesterday. So again, I think that speaks to the very strong mitigation measures that are in place in our schools. But it very particularly speaks to the work that has been done on the ground by staff within the schools, but also students themselves who are very much so abiding, if you like, by the measures that have been put in place. So a strong body of work continues within our schools in that respect. So basically what you're saying, Minister, is the numbers are rising in the cohort in the ages of children who are going to school, but they're not being infected within the school system. How do we know that for sure? It just seems a coincidence that they go back to school and then, do we know for sure that they're not being infected within the school environment? How can we tell? Well, I think the adjudication and the judgment on that must be left to the experts and it is the experts who are attesting to that and that is public health. And like these are not statistics or figures that are being produced by me, they are being produced by the experts who are on the ground. And you will be aware as well that public health take a very rigorous approach when they do actually go into the schools, when they are called to go into the schools. You will know also that we have enhanced school teams and you will know too that public health have confirmed that they have even extended, I suppose, the level of testing that takes place within schools. So the adjudication on those statistics, as we will refer to them, are the adjudication of public health and to no one else. And I think that's right and proper given that we did say from the outset that we would be led by public health in terms of, you know, measures that were required within our schools and what we would do in terms of dealing with COVID-19.
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