Sinn Féin TD for Dublin South West Seán Crowe has said that the latest recall of sanitising products used in many of our schools has severely called into question the Government’s ability to ensure the safety and wellbeing of students and staff in our education system.

Teachta Crowe said:

“Last week, we got the bad news at nearly midnight on Thursday that one brand of hand sanitiser was being pulled from our schools due to the presence of a dangerous substance. This came out of the blue and the Minister was unwilling to answer questions during the late sitting of the Dáil that night.

“Now we learn that a further 52 products that are being used in our schools are being withdrawn for similar reasons. This bombshell comes with only a couple of days before schools resume after the midterm break, leaving precious little time for schools to source replacement stocks of sanitising products on a list of approved products that is growing shorter by the week.

“Teachers and school staff are already threatening industrial action for a range of issues, including school safety. The Department of Education, and the Government as a whole, have allowed the issue of sanitising products to become a fiasco and I completely understand the anger and frustration of school principals and management who were actively encouraged to buy these tainted products in the first place.

“Our schools have been open for nearly two months now. Why are we only testing these products now and finding them unsuitable? Why has the Government not made it a priority to know exactly what cleaning products and sanitiser are fit for use by children?

“I believe that Minister Norma Foley has been asleep at the wheel throughout this debacle and now she has serious and mounting questions to answer.”