School staffing and booster rollout
Alan Kelly raised teacher shortages affecting schools, including his local school, and then asked about Covid boosters. The Taoiseach said schools were safe, substitute panels had been expanded, and booster eligibility was being set by NIAC advice.
The Taoiseach will announce new measures this evening with regard to fighting Covid-19. It seems, unfortunately, that we are going in a certain direction. I have a question about schools, about which I have a deep concern. The Taoiseach and I share the view that schools and early years education are a top priority. Owenabue school in the Taoiseach's constituency has told many of the parents of its children not to send the children to the school because it does not have enough teachers. I am hearing similar stories in this regard from all over the country. My wife is a teacher. Pressures are everywhere. There was a situation in my daughter's class recently where there was less than a handful of them in.
Schools will fall over, so to speak. Given the complications RSV causes, will the Government consider prioritising front-line workers such as gardaí, retail workers, transport workers and, most of all, teachers, special needs assistants, SNAs, and early years workers for boosters, primarily so that the schools system does not fall over? I ask the Taoiseach to consider this seriously.
Comment on this
We are both agreed that throughout the pandemic we wanted to keep the schools open, basically for the health and well-being of children. Children are healthiest and it is best for their self-development when they are in a school setting with their friends. The public health advice is that schools are safe for children. On the wider issue of substitution, there is a very good reason for teachers being out of school. The Minister has created additional panels of substitute teachers, far more than would normally be the case.
Comment on this
Earlier I outlined the programme for the boosters. NIAC advises the Chief Medical Officer, CMO, who in turn advises the Minister in respect of who is eligible for a booster. It is an age cohort plus those with underlying conditions and those who are immunosuppressed. As of yesterday, those aged 50 and older are now eligible.