I want to raise the issue of the wearing of face masks by children in primary schools. I fundamentally get the necessity to follow NPHET advice, and I have always supported the Taoiseach in that. Following that expert advice has served the Taoiseach, the country and the people well. There comes a point when we have to ask whether the benefits of a measure outweigh the potential harms of that measure. I am doing this on behalf of the parents, guardians and school principals, who have contacted me in respect of this issue. They have concerns about developmental issues relating to young children, psychological issues, educational issues, learning difficulties, etc. When will there be a review of this policy, particularly in light of the fact that the virus does not have a massive impact on young children's health in general and that the numbers of hospitalisations, etc., are starting to balance out?

The advice in this regard came from the Chief Medical Officer and NPHET. They are primarily concerned with the high levels of case numbers involving five- to 11-year-olds in particular. The recommendation was that mask-wearing should be for those aged nine years plus. We will continue to keep this under review. We will continue to get feedback from the schools and evaluate this, but it is in line with public health advice.