Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)

Work is under way to examine how we best implement the recommendations of that review. The Minister of State, Deputy Michael Moynihan, has designation for this but, obviously, we are working together in the Department. Regarding the scheme, we have given a commitment to increase the numbers by 100,000. It is currently at 173,000. We do that by expanding the criteria that have been set at the moment. That is why the pilots are in place. The pilots look at a number of different ways it can be done. Some include routes in existence through Bus Éireann, which older schoolchildren can access. Other pilots are routes that would not necessarily be put in place if they were concessionary or were not within the distance set. We must look at how they are working and operating. There will be a further expansion of pilots this year. Based on the outcome of those, the intention is to examine how we can best start to implement the 100,000 target and how we can improve the scheme overall. That would include the timeline and how we would do it. I appreciate for all of us at the end of the summer the phones in our offices are ringing off the hook with parents wanting to know where they are going, whether their children are getting the bus or not. It is about bringing that forward as quickly as possible.

The 70-year-old age limit is something that Bus Éireann has applied to all its drivers, not just for school transport. A review was conducted previously but we have committed to a separate, independent review. That work is being chaired by officials in the Department of transport but we are working closely with them on it. We will have to take any recommendations or outcomes from that review into consideration and on board. What is happening at the moment is a challenge. We are in the three-week window where the payments and the applications have closed. We are working with Bus Éireann to identify who has applied, what routes are in existence, whether there is a possibility for more and what buses and drivers we have. Obviously, that takes time. I expect the parents will know around the beginning of July. However, we can bring that forward in the review of the overall scheme. We will try to do that.