No, I want to finish on this. The school transport system is operating as indicated by the public health advice. I had a meeting last week about that and the advice is as up to date-----

To confirm-----

I can confirm that substantial funding is being made available for school transport for all children who are eligible and who have paid on time. Obviously, the practice will not operate as it has in previous times. Where there is extra provision the concessionary tickets will be made available, as they have been in the past. There is no change to the procedure.

The €75 million works programme is being made available to schools so they can identify whatever remedial works are required within the schools. There is freedom for each school to identify what those needs are and to meet them through the €75 million package that is being made available.

The package is being given to schools. I should also confirm that the moneys in that regard and for the aids that can be applied by schools will be available in the schools next week. Every school is asked to take the appropriate measures that are required so the school can reopen safely.

I welcome the Deputy's positive engagement and absolutely appreciate that there should be opportunities for him and other Opposition spokespersons to engage with both me and the Department on an ongoing basis over the coming weeks. I would value that positive engagement. There absolutely should be a national effort in which all of us come together to reopen the schools. I appreciate the wisdom and experience within this Chamber and in other places. I am very happy to work with the Deputy going forward, as are my of…

Yes.

As for larger classes and the reconfiguration of school space, the Deputy will be aware of the €75 million I have previously mentioned that is being dispensed into schools to arrive next week to deal with how they can be reconfigured. That is the first option for schools, namely, to reconfigure classroom space or other spaces where there are general purpose areas, assembly areas or whatever and to provide the necessary space that is required. As for the issue of live-streaming, the Deputy will appreciate that a num…

I can answer the question.

The 1,000 teachers are actually 1,080. I will take this opportunity to explain to the Deputy how that will work. Each school will look at their own need. The hours available in each of those teaching posts will be 22 hours. Management will decide what is needed within the school, for example, an additional eight hours being needed for French and ten hours for physics or whatever the case may be. It will not necessarily mean that a single person will be in the school. The hours will be divided to meet the needs of t…

The lead worker representative is an important role within the school. It is a recognition of the need for co-ordination of Covid-19 measures within the school and it is a recognition that there needs to be a number of personnel who are to the fore. There is the principal, the deputy principal and senior members of staff. I know from experience that it will be a whole-school engagement and effort, but there will be reduced hours available for the individual who takes up the lead worker role. I have every confidence…

There will be the normal supports in place in terms of helplines and so on. Students will receive their results via the portal, but I know from personal experience that schools will always be open to support and to walk with, before and behind their students. I have every confidence schools will want to play a role, but in the first instance the results will go via the portal to the students themselves. I have every confidence that schools will want to be there in a supportive role.

I thank the Deputy for his support for me as Minister and for the entire education community. We must make every possible effort to work collaboratively to ensure we can safely and fully reopen schools in late August or September, depending on the individual schools. The Deputy highlighted the importance of SNAs in schools. I absolutely acknowledge that and I have first-hand experience of the invaluable role they play in supporting children with special educational needs. They are a hugely important part of the sup…

I reiterate that I appreciate the Deputy's positive engagement on all these issues up to this point. The matter of fee-paying schools is an important one as questions have been raised around it. I confirm that all fee-charging schools have been contacted by my Department to advise them that while schools outside of the free schemes are not automatically covered by the minor works grant, the Department absolutely recognises that there may well be circumstances in which fee-charging schools require some support to im…

I ask the Deputy to revert to me regarding St. Brogan's College and I will ask my officials to come back to him on it.

On the issue of children or young students on buses, the buses are operating on the basis of the public health advice that has been given. That advice suggests that children in primary school, and older children at second level, be regarded as one single cohort. That means that the same children get on the bus every day. They will be assigned specific seats and will sit with a sibling or a child in their class. When they get on the bus, there will be hand sanitiser and wipes if needed, and PPE will be provided for …

I appreciate the Deputy's point. I do not mean to repeat myself, but the funding of €75 million that has been made available to the schools is intended for providing space within the schools themselves in the first instance. They should look within their own classrooms, declutter them and remove all excess furniture. They can also look at other areas outside the classroom, like the general assembly or general purpose area, which they can reconfigure. It is believed that there may well be significant options within …

I thank the Deputy for his questions. I assume the Deputy is asking what will happen when substitution is not available in a school. There are several streams or options within schools regarding substitution. I repeat that there is a national roll-out of a substitute panel. Importantly, and perhaps I did not say this already, it was piloted first in six places and a number of posts are being made available so that more than 60 areas around the country will have substitute panels. I want to be clear that if the numb…

I am sorry, will the Deputy repeat his final question?

We are living through an extraordinary time and I appreciate that extraordinary measures had to be brought in, but work on new buildings will proceed. More than 200 buildings were to be completed this year and they will proceed as intended.