Linda Nelson Murray (Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister and the witnesses for coming in today.

I spoke to a principal of a primary school in the past few days about the mobile phone ban in schools and protecting our young people. They would have preferred, rather than a board implementing a policy or the school implementing a policy, there was a legislative ban on phones in primary schools. They think it would be more enforceable if they did not have to do it themselves. The Minister and I recently met with Youth Work Ireland who are calling for a right to switch off for students who regularly get messages on a Sunday night or the night before school, from their schools or teachers, whether it is via an app, via email or via message. It is causing stress and anxiety. They are looking for a right to switch off at a certain time, which is really important.

Regarding promoting teacher supply, St. Joseph's primary school in Kilmessan have reached out to me to say they will have the enrolment in September for an extra teacher but will have to wait 12 months to get that teacher. What are we doing to promote teacher supply?

Could the Minister give an update on special needs assistant allocations so SNAs will know where they will be in September earlier, rather than at the end of the school year? Staff in one school pointed out to me that they found out yesterday what their SNAs were doing and it did cause a lot of stress.

I agree with Deputy Dempsey's comments on school transport. I have two small kids who get the school bus. Not a month goes by that the bus is not broken down. Our kids are our future. They really are our precious cargo. It scares me as a parent that the buses keep breaking down and that they are so old. Is there investment in buses? I know we are crying out for space on buses but the buses seem to be very old, especially in Meath West anyway.

I have previously mentioned to the Minister, and I will keep raising, transport co-ordination for special schools. If we can save the principal and vice-principal of these schools from the extra work of co-ordinating buses and bus escorts, it would really help their roles in special schools.