Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The school transport system is very good generally, when it is possible to get it. My two kids go on the school bus everyday. The difficulty for many kids is they cannot access it. Is there a review of the scheme on the cards or has there been one recently? A basic lack of common sense seems to surround most of the school transport issues. The school bus I am referring to is not full so there are other kids who could potentially avail of it. There is an issue around the nearest school rule. For example, in Kilkenny city, it is difficult to get a secondary school place.

Therefore, many children, by default, are going outside the city to go to secondary school, and parents are then told they are sending their child outside the catchment area. There are a lot of things like that which should be basic common sense. If there was a review of the scheme, it might highlight some of the issues that could be addressed. Obviously, some of the issues are due to funding, but not all. Some of the issues raised by the Chair and by Deputy McLoughlin are not necessarily funding issues but are more about looking at the issue and applying a bit of logic. While there is the opportunity, I ask the Minister of State whether a review of the scheme can be considered.