Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I was at a planning conference some years ago at which Fáilte Ireland was presenting. It said if one builds towns and town centres in places for the people who live there to make it nice for them, then one develops places that people want to come and visit. We often see that when we go on holidays to Europe where we think it is great when we are in a town centre with car-free zones and business is booming. We could have those things.

I am almost out of time. The school bus system was spoken about earlier. It is under the Department of Education, given that it is a school bus system. Would there be of benefit to bring it into the Department of Transport? It is probably one of the largest transport operations that is not under the Department of Transport. It could be less restrictive, too. People living 2.5 km from the school should not be excluded from the school bus system. Generally, it is another car on the road for that kind of distance. There should be flexibility where someone may not be going to the nearest school. So what? If someone is going to the school they want to attend, there should be a bus system going. Does the Minister see opportunity to expand the school bus system and bring those benefits? Should it be the Department of Transport which leads on that?