The Government made an announcement yesterday evening that nine-year-olds must wear masks in school all day, every day. This has serious repercussions for many mothers, parents and youngsters because many of them have asthma, Covid and respiratory conditions affecting them. The Minister for Education has said they must go to school unless they get a letter of exemption from their doctor, but no one contacted the doctors about this. In our area you must have an appointment with a doctor. The doctor will not give this letter of exemption otherwise, and that will cost parents money they do not have at present. The more serious aspect of this is that the Government has not contacted the GPs or the medical profession as to what to do about these letters.

That is fine, Deputy. Your time is up.

It is very easy to make an announcement if you do not do the background work.

Please, Deputy. I call on the Taoiseach.

This is a serious matter, and many mothers have been on to me this morning.

I dealt with this earlier at some length during Leaders' Questions. The Deputy may not have been in for that. I will give the Deputy a word of advice. He may not have intended to imply this, but anybody with Covid should not be in school, so any child with Covid should not be-----

They are recovered from Covid and they have not had time-----

Please, Deputy.

You cannot be in school with Covid. We accept that.

They are recovered from it but they are still not 100%, if the Taoiseach understands me.

Please, Deputy

They have respiratory problems and they cannot wear masks for six or seven hours every day.

Please, Deputy. There are other Members.

In all our exchanges throughout the pandemic I accept that the Deputy has a unique insight into and a unique perspective on the pandemic right across the board. This is a new one on me, but I just wish to make it very clear that anyone who has any symptoms at all, not just Covid symptoms, should not be in school.

I said they had it, not now.

I hope the Deputy agrees that the public health advice is that people should wear masks. Pragmatism has to obtain-----

I hate to interrupt this fascinating exchange-----

Will the Taoiseach take this up with the doctors?

-----but may we move on, please, to Deputy Alan Farrell?

There is no point in smiling about it. It is a serious problem.

Please, Deputy.

I know Deputy Healy-Rae is a good friend of the Minister, Deputy Foley. Maybe he could have a chat with her.

I am, and I am a good friend of the people who ask me to do things for them and to raise things in here on their behalf. It is no good to me to see the Taoiseach smiling about this. The Government will do nothing about it, God damn it, man. The Government has not-----

Deputy, you are out of order.

I have answered the question. I answered it earlier.