Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Matthews has made an excellent point. Have the NTA or local authorities done an audit of all the primary and secondary schools to see how safe they are and how they can be linked up with footpaths or whatever. It is obviously a key way to get active travel going. Rather than reinventing the wheel, has that body of work been done? People are now older when doing their driving test. In my day, people did it at 17 or 18; it was a rite of passage. Now many of them are holding off until their early 20s. For many of them it is a nuisance, but it may be their only transport option. They are very into public transport. If the public transport is good enough, they will stick with it, but if it is not there, I see it in real time.

I apologise to Deputy Matthews; I did not mean to encroach on his time. I take Mr. Creegan's point on the bus shelters in all the towns and villages. Has an audit of all schools, possibly by the local authorities, been considered? It is money well spent and value for the taxpayer. Many schools were very annoyed that they did not receive funding for the Safe Routes to School programme funded by the Department. There is an appetite among the parents, students and schools. It is a win at every level. Is such an audit being considered?