Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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In the limited time I have, I would like to raise a few issues. The budget is only one week away. Despite the challenges we have with school transport this year, this measure was born out of goodwill and a wish to ease the financial burden for parents as children return to school. It would be wonderful if we could implement it again next year and fix the teething problems we have experienced. In every town, village and city in the country, be it in Tralee or in my neck of the woods in County Clare, people can get from one end to the other with relative ease in the months of July and August because school traffic and the mile-long queues of parents dropping off their children are absent. Earlier today, the transport committee discussed the western rail corridor, which could take ten years to develop. Metro north could take 15 years to develop. All of these important but rather extravagant projects will take an inordinate amount of time to complete. In relative terms, it does not take as much time, effort or money to put a bus carrying 50 children on the road and bring it up the narrow roads to Parteen National School or any other school in the country. That takes many cars off the road and relieves the financial pressure on parents, on a par with childcare costs. Parents have to factor into their daily routine not only childcare costs but also school pick-up and collection. I ask that the Minister champion at Cabinet level rolling out this measure more extensively next year. Does she have any views on that?