Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for the offer which I will certainly take up. I look forward to sitting down with him and teasing out this issue. It is unfortunate that this issue was not dealt with last summer, with a new Minister and a fresh approach. This should have been sorted out before now. The Minister of State initiated a review of school transport provision but that review did not take place until after the summer when students were already back at school. It is crucial that we sort out this issue for the next school year. We need to make sure that common sense is blended in with the rules. I accept that the rules must be equitable and fair but they must also be sensible and our job as politicians is to ensure that this is so. I believe an accommodation can be reached which caters for the students involved and ensures that they can continue to attend the school they have always attended while also saving money for the State. Such an accommodation must ensure that the families of the students in question are not left in a situation where they must spend two week's income to pay for school transport. I look forward to the opportunity to meet the Minister of State and emphasise the importance of sorting out this matter once and for all.

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