Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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It is really concerning if the leaving certificate results are not going to be out until September again. As the Minister knows, this causes all kinds of problems, particularly for students trying to make choices and get accommodation. These are additional pressure students do not need to bear. I have spoken to many teachers who mark papers and asked them why they would not continue to do this job given the additional payments and everything else. They said the way papers are marked, sent back, marked again and sent back is a bureaucratic nightmare that must not only be looked into but also sorted out so there will be enough markers and it will be attractive enough for markers and teachers to do the job. They stated that what is happening is not good for anyone and represents just another pressure. I ask that every effort be made to bring the date forward to the middle of August. Even a couple of weeks at that time make a big difference to young people, who are already under severe pressure. That is all I will say about that.

On school transport, the Minister did not mention the F-word, the word I was looking for – "flexibility". I urge her, even at this stage, to do so. When will the report be published after completion? When will its recommendations be implemented? Can we say there will be no recommendations implemented this year and that they will be implemented the following year?

Under subhead A9, funding towards school transport has been reduced by €55.5 million, which is 20%. The Department has indicated its target is for an increase in the number of students using the transport, from 122,217 in 2022 to 125,220 in 2023. If the target is to increase the number of students, why has the funding been reduced? The main thing we need in school transport is flexibility to meet the needs of the children and families who desperately need it, especially in rural Ireland.

I raised with the Department the previous day the issue of capital funding for schools whose numbers are not increasing. I gave the example of a school in Swinford. It has 60 students but does not have a hallway or very basic facilities. What are we doing to meet the needs of such schools? There is a school in Bangor Erris that needs the tarmac done because it has a wheelchair user, and the school in Sáile, Achill, has no outside shelter. These are basic needs. While I completely understand that decisions are population driven, children attending schools such those mentioned deserve to be treated in the same way as other children, particularly in respect of meeting their basic needs, whether these are a shelter, a place outside to play or a hallway. What is the policy on this? The summer works scheme does not cover things like these. It is just not sufficient to do so.