Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We are in unprecedented times and the Minister has faced many challenges in the past couple of weeks.

Issues were bound to arise when we tried to reopen schools in such difficult circumstances. While I will raise several issues, I acknowledge that, so far, a very good job has been done in reopening the schools, which many critics said could not be achieved.

In July, the Minister announced funding of €11.3 million to support hygiene, PPE and cleaning requirements on school transport. This was a necessary step and was much welcomed. However, 90% of school transport services are operated by private bus operators. It was expected that they would be allocated funding proportionate to their size in the market to meet public health measures. It has now transpired, however, that private bus operators will receive just 50% of this fund, €5.5 million, over the school year of 39 weeks.

When that figure is broken down, every school bus operator in the country can expect between €4.50 and €8.50 per day for an enhanced cleaning regime on school buses. This is grossly inadequate. It is less than the minimum wage and does not take into account the cost of cleaning supplies. One month later, the money has not yet been delivered, with bus operators forced to take on the burden of the expense when their cash flows are at zero.

These private bus operators are often small, family-run businesses and this situation is putting them under great financial pressure. To meet public health standards in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, buses first require a deep clean, followed by daily cleaning and disinfection of touch points on board and then a deep cleaning every weekend. This deep clean will take two people one hour to complete for every bus every weekend. If the coaches get a deep clean to start off, then the running cost will be €22.13 per coach per day for disinfecting and cleaning, plus a weekly deep-cleaning cost of €55 per coach. The cost of the first deep cleaning of a coach can vary in cost up to €170. Why were private bus operators only allocated 50% of the fund, when they operate 90% of routes? Can these funds be made available upfront to private bus operators so they can cover additional costs? Why are Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann getting up to €50 per day per vehicle for cleaning, while school buses are only getting a fraction of that amount? Why this inconsistency?

A decision was taken last week to reduce bus capacity to 50% to allow for social distancing on buses carrying secondary school students. This means that additional buses are now required to deal with demand. With schools reopened, operators still do not know if they will be required to provide more services or whether new contracts will be placed with different operators. This lack of capacity means that students, who had been travelling by bus to school for years, are now being refused spaces. I am aware of numerous instances from all around my constituency, from Hollyford, Shevry, Upperchurch and Gortagarry to Ballingarry, where students who previously travelled to school by bus are now being denied places. Dozens of young people and their families are being affected by these decisions. Changes were made to the way that pupils with concessionary tickets were dealt with in 2012-2013, and that needs to be revisited. Given the year we are in, when we are dealing with Covid-19, there is an obligation on us to ensure that all pupils have a place on school transport to get to school.

I also refer to the portal payment system and the way it was shut down in a guillotine fashion. That decision also needs to be revisited, because parents did not realise that was going to happen. This situation needs to be urgently revisited. Can the Minister provide clarity so that operators can ensure adequate provision of buses and every child who needs to be transported to school can be guaranteed a place?

Another issue arising concerns bus drivers being hired to run additional services. Can their vetting process be prioritised to get them on the road as soon as possible? Roughly 25,000 pupils go to school on services provided by private operators, for various reasons. If these buses must operate at 50% capacity, as we would expect with social distancing, the parents involved must get some help to carry this cost. This issue also needs to be addressed. Can we get clarity, therefore, regarding private school runs and what additional help will be provided?

In the past few minutes we have addressed the 20,000 pupils who sat the leaving certificate in years prior to 2020. There are pupils who, for various reasons, did not take up their college place in 2018 or 2019 and now intend to take up a place in 2020. They are worried that they will be at a disadvantage regarding the predictive marking that is being calculated this year. Can the Minister give further clarification on how she will ensure fairness in the system for pupils who sat their leaving certificate in 2018 or 2019 and are now seeking a college place and that their results from a previous leaving certificate will be adequately reflected to allow them the access they would have had if they had sat the leaving certificate in the normal manner in 2020?