Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 March 2022
469. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education the cost incurred by her Department for the supply of Covid-19 related face masks and face coverings since March 2019 to date; the name of the supplier involved; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13888/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn 2020 The Government’s Roadmap for the Full Return to School set out a range of products required to facilitate the reopening of schools, including PPE such as face coverings. A procurement process was undertaken to identify PPE, Consumables and Equipment Suppliers who could meet the needs of the Education Sector.
Following the successful conclusion of the procurement process in July 2020, the Department established a multi-supplier framework arrangement from which schools can choose suppliers and products which best meet their own needs. All PPE products required to support the operation of schools are available under this framework and schools are encouraged to purchase their PPE through this centralised process to the greatest extent possible to obtain value for money. Suppliers on the framework deliver directly to the schools. Whilst individual schools are best placed to identify their PPE needs based on their Covid-19 Response Plan, guidance and an information pack has been issued from the Department to set out the steps to follow when ordering PPE under the Supply Arrangement. As schools can draw from the central arrangements or from multiple suppliers at a local level, it is not possible to provide an aggregated total spend on face masks or face coverings. The suppliers on the framework are: Bunzl Cleaning & Safety Supplies; JBS Group; Reach Group; Nugent Safety Ltd; WorkWear Experts; Shaw Scientific; Charles Hughes/Portwest; Lennox; Critical Healthcare; Steripack; PFG Maxxcare; Aquila Bioscience; Heterochem; PRL.
Each school was provided with an updated COVID-19 Response Plan in advance of the return to school. More than €158 million of additional capitation funding has been made available to primary and post primary schools to provide for Cleaning, PPE and hand hygiene, Enhanced Supervision and employment of an Aide for the school year 2020/21. My Department has committed to ensuring that the full range of measures necessary to allow schools operate safely in the Covid-19 environment will continue to be available for the 2021/22 school year and has provided a further €109 million to date for Terms 1 and 2 of the 2021/22 school year. This represents a total of €267 million to date of which €122 million is for PPE and hand hygiene.
In addition, the Department itself incurred a total expenditure of €20,425.10 on face masks and face coverings in the years 2020-2022 from a range of suppliers. These suppliers were Active Life Pharmacy; Bunzl Cleaning & Safety Supplies; Charles Hughes Ltd; Cloonan’s Hardware; Codex Office Products Group; Heavin’s Hardware Centre Ltd; Vitalrate Ltd.
