The municipality of Eindhoven has explained in a letter about the subsidy for disinfecting UV-C lamps. Last week there was commotion about the subsidy.
The ED wrote that Alderperson Stijn Steenbakkers wanted to favour lamp manufacturer Signify in a deal involving a 700,000 euro subsidy . According to the city council, the situation is slightly different.
‘Insufficient insight into the market’
For example, the specifications that the machines must meet were not copied one-to-one from Signify in order to give the Eindhoven company an advantage. At the time the subsidy came about, there was simply insufficient insight into the market for UV-C lamps, according to the city council. In addition, there was supposedly only ‘limited scientific knowledge’ about the specifications.
The Board therefore believes that due care has been taken in the case. “We have opted for a scheme with freedom of choice of supplier for the school boards, in order to make the scheme as accessible as possible. This has also always been explicitly stated in correspondence with the council and school boards.
Legally tested
In addition, the city council ordered a preliminary check whether the method used was lawful. “The results came back positive. Equivalent products (i.e. from other companies such besides Signify, ed.) are also eligible for the subsidy scheme.”
Half the number of rooms
The subsidy enables schools to spend 2050 euros per classroom on the disinfectant lamps. The fact that many classrooms require two lamps instead of one – as seemed to be the case in advance – does have an impact on the subsidy scheme, the Board reports.
An amount of 2050 euros per classroom is now being transferred to schools that want to instal the lamps, instead of 1025 euros per lamp. This means that about half the number of classrooms previously estimated can be fitted with the lamps. However, the budget of 700,000 euros will noti ncrease.
More than 300 classrooms
School umbrella organisation SKPO has applied for a subsidy for 18 schools for 272 classrooms. The Special Education and Expertise Centres Foundation (SSOE) has applied for 46 classrooms.
Although the corona crisis is over, the use of equipment remains relevant, the city council finally reports. The UV-C technique is also used in the Netherlands at healthcare institutions such as the GGD and hospitals, and is expected to have a positive effect on absenteeism at schools, according to the college.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Shanthi Ramani
