Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank our contributors today. I want to go back to Deputy Paul Murphy's discussion on school transport. I questioned the former Minister with responsibility for transport, Mr. Ross, in the Chamber some weeks ago regarding support to the bus sector and the public service obligation. Although he gave a commitment on public sector funding for public transport, he made no mention of funding for all the private bus operators. In Waterford, three large private bus operators work under the public service obligation for school transport. They have had no engagement, nor, as far as I know, have they had any update from the Department. They have written regarding their concerns about capacity issues and social distancing. The current bus fleet would have to be magnified probably by a factor of three or four to provide the same service. They do not have the drivers. There has been no engagement.

While we are talking about education and getting children back to school, one fundamental component, which also affects the intellectual disability area, is being missed in that no one is speaking for the transport operators or how they are to provide a service in future. I call on the parents council bodies to engage, as a matter of priority, with the stakeholders and the Department. I can see this as one of the legs under the stool that will not be in place when the schools return.

Reference was made to the facilities and the requirements of social distancing. We know there are many schools in the country, especially in rural parts of the country, that will not manage social distancing and do not have the capacity for it in the schools. They may get funding for personal protective equipment and sanitisers etc. but they simply will not be able to accommodate the children. One component of the curriculum, especially for post-primary education, includes the need to try to engender esteem, as well as problem solving and group-think and so on. None of these things can really be done remotely. What strategies do the witnesses have in place? I do not believe there is a hope of getting all the children back to school in September.