John Halligan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I will begin by giving an outline of the extent of the school transport service.

School transport is a significant service. At present, more than 116,000 children, including more than 12,000 children with special educational needs, are being transported by approximately 4,500 vehicles each day to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country, covering over 100 million km annually at a total cost of almost €190 million in 2017.

As the Deputy is aware, Bus Éireann operates the school transport scheme on behalf of the Department. It has advised that the minimum age for school bus drivers is 23 years and that candidates must have at least two years' driving experience. In response to the expressed wishes of many school bus drivers - including those employed by Bus Éireann and drivers for private school bus contractors - who wanted to remain in their positions upon reaching retirement age at 66 years, and following the advice of the medical department of Bus Éireann, the company decided to alter the compulsory retirement age for school bus drivers who provide services under the school transport scheme in order to enable experienced personnel to remain in their positions for a maximum of four more years if desired. School bus drivers who opt to remain on after reaching 66 years of age may do so up to the age of 70, if they are satisfied to do so, subject to an annual medical review and once they continue to hold the requisite driving licence. That is the position as it stands. Bus Éireann has further advised that the opinion of its chief medical officer is that, given the demanding and safety-critical nature of school bus driving, 70 is an appropriate age at which to retire from such employment.

I accept and understand that because they are living longer, people want to work longer. That is the case in many types of employment. However, we have a huge responsibility when dealing with the general public, particularly children. As far as I know, at present it is not within my remit to make alterations in this regard. The compulsory retirement age is based on the opinion of the chief medical officer. This scheme is directed by Bus Éireann under the auspices of my Department. As the Deputy has suggested, there may be other drivers - and I am not saying there are not, there probably are - who are driving cars. There may also be other bus drivers driving private school transport. Such drivers do not operate under this scheme, however. I receive advice and, as Minister of State with responsibility for the 116,000 children who are transported all around the country every year, I am sometimes obliged to take the advice of the chief medical officer. Right now, that is the advice he has given me. I have no problem going back to the chief medical officer and asking him again to give me the substantial medical reasons as to why he reached that decision and to tell me when he reached that decision. I may be wrong, but I believe it was in 2001.

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