AQW 1743/22-27

Mr Peter McReynolds
Alliance Party
East Belfast

Tabled Date: 17/06/2022
Answered On Date: 04/07/2022
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Education how her Department is measuring and monitoring (i) air quality; and (ii) air COVID-19 safety in schools.

Answer:

CO2 monitors have been provided to all schools in Northern Ireland. The CO2 monitors measure the efficacy of ventilation in a classroom and provide feedback to the school as to how effective the ventilation is within that classroom. This will allow schools to identify any areas where ventilation may need to be improved, and highlight these to the Education Authority (EA). CO2 monitors do not provide evidence on the presence of COVID-19 in the air.

If a school has concerns regarding ventilation the EA Maintenance Service has established a Ventilation Remedial Team which will prioritise site visits to those schools where ventilation concerns have been reported to the EA Maintenance Helpdesk. If natural ventilation is proven to be deficient within a school, remedial works will be undertaken to rectify the situation which may include repairs or replacement of windows or the installation of an air ventilation system.

Expert advice from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies and Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland continues to be that air filtration units should not be used as a substitute for ventilation. In line with this advice, air filtration units will only be supplied to schools by EA Maintenance as an interim measure, where immediate remedial works cannot improve the efficacy of ventilation in certain rooms or there is a lead in time for the completion of the works.