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Most primary and secondary schools to reopen today

Managers of most of the country's primary schools have said the closure of schools yesterday was essential to allow schools to assess the damage caused by Storm Ophelia.

The Catholic Primary School Managers Association (CPSMA) says schools are reporting problems with power and water outages, as well as debris and structural damage.

It has commended the Department of Education on what it says was "the correct call" to close schools.

Earlier, Minister for Education Richard Bruton said the decision to close schools for a second day was taken in the interests of safety and to provide clarity for everyone concerned.

The vast majority of schools will reopen today. The CPSMA says it expects some primary schools to remain closed, particularly those that have been affected by cuts to their water or power supply.

The Health Service Executive had said it expected outpatient services to be fully operational today, with a small number of exceptions.