Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Cathaoirleach and I thank the administrative support team behind the Committee of Public Accounts for its very helpful induction over the last few days. I am delighted and honoured to be a member of a committee that does exceptionally valuable work.

I want to follow on from the most recent discussion about school transport. Over the last couple of years, I have received numerous representations from schools principals and people who are involved in the school transport industry in my own constituency of Galway East, on the issue of the driving limit for the over-70s, if we want to describe it as that. My initial reaction is very similar to that of Deputy Verona Murphy in that it seems logical to extend the opportunity for people to drive school buses beyond the age of 70.

As one driver put it to me, he can drive schoolchildren in a 50-seater bus to a hurling match at 72 years of age but he cannot drive them to school at 72 years of age, and we must bear that in mind. I took the time, as I always do, to conduct a lot of research on this matter. I spoke to a lot of people in the industry and looked at the international research not alone around school bus driving but also around the piloting of aircraft. All of the research would seem to indicate that a person enters into an age of high risk post the age of 70 from the perspectives of a driver and a pilot, where a person is personally responsible for the lives and the safety of a number of other human beings. My initial reaction was the wrong one. Now, having looked at the research, I firmly support Bus Éireann and, indeed, the Department in how they approach this issue.

I urge anyone who is intent on making a well-informed decision on this policy matter to look at the conclusive research that there are significant risks post the age of 70 applying to people who are responsible for the lives of others. As I said, driving is an exceptionally important role. As a parent, one hands over responsibility for one's child's safety to one individual. If the international research shows that individuals run a risk - perhaps a small one - of not being capable or-----