Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Deputy O'Sullivan hit on a lot of the points I wanted to make. For as long as I have been in politics, and I am sure for as long as the Minister has been as well, there is almost a certainty that, come the end of August, there will be problems with school transport and we will all start to receive phone calls. It is not the parents who have been granted tickets, including the concessionary tickets, who are going to ring. It does not matter how many tickets there are, and there are a record number, if your son or daughter or family member does not get the ticket, he or she is going to feel particularly excluded. As colleagues have said, this is especially the case for those students who were in receipt of concessionary tickets and had a legitimate expectation right up to sixth year that they would have those tickets. This has manifested itself in unusual ways. I know in Tara Hill National School in County Wexford a significant number were in receipt of concessionary tickets, but because of the demand this year, that presented a problem. While it was done entirely for the right reasons, I wonder whether it may have been correct to have charged even a small fee to those who would have been in receipt of automatic tickets this year. One of the concerns, as a lot of the bus drivers will say, is that not every seat in every bus is taken up. Is there some way to develop the system so that, if we know there are spare seats on buses, others can take them up?

Senator Malcolm Byrne: Go raibh maith agat Cathaoirleach, and I would like to the Minister. Deputy O'Sullivan hit on a lot of the points that I want to make. There is almost a certainty, for as long as I have been in politics, and I am sure the Minister has been as well, that, come the end of August, there are problems with regard to school transport and we all start to receive phone calls. It is not going to be the parents who have been granted the tickets, including the concessionary tickets, who are going to ring. I would say to the Minister that it does not matter how many tickets - there are a record number - if your son or daughter or your family members does not get the ticket. They are going to feel particularly excluded. As colleagues have said, particularly for those students who, where they have been in receipt of concessionary tickets, and there was a legitimate expectation right up, indeed, to sixth year, that they would have those tickets. This has manifested itself in unusual ways. I know in the Tara Hill national school in Co. Wexford where a significant number were in receipt of concessionary tickets but because of the demand this year, it presented a problem. I wonder, and I think it was done entirely for the right reasons, whether it may have been correct to even have charged a small fee for those who would have been in receipt of the automatic tickets this year. I think one of the concerns, and a lot of the bus drivers will say, is that not every seat in every bus is taken up. Whether there is some way to develop the system, that if we know there are spare seats on buses that others could take them up.

My second question, which follows on from Deputy O'Sullivan's, relates to whether we could move to a system next year where we maximise the numbers using public transport to get to school. I appreciate the Minister may not be able to give us a guarantee on that. What kind of assurances could there be that we would move to a situation next year whereby we could try to make provision if there are early indications and if we know in May or June of each year how many kids want to use the bus to a particular school? Deputy O'Sullivan's point was very valid about this. It is a case of whether there is any way of developing a system to do that It is a bit unfair, because I think it is acknowledged that what the Minister did was with good intent, but there was surprise at the level of demand this year, even in spite of the increase in supply.