Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the frustration of Deputy Funchion on this issue. I realise we are well into the first term. I can understand how frustrating this can be for parents.

I will provide some background for the three areas in question. I will suggest something then that Deputy Funchion may decide for or against. Currently, three school transport services operate from the Paulstown and Gowran areas to Kilkenny city post-primary centre. Bus Éireann has confirmed that six children who are eligible for school transport did not submit payment details by the deadline. A total of 14 children who are not eligible for school transport were unsuccessful in obtaining seats for the 2018-19 school year. In Ballyhale there are two school transport services operating in the national school in Ballyhale. Bus Éireann has confirmed that three of the children who were eligible for school transport did not submit payment details by the deadline. A total of 12 children who are not eligible for school transport were unsuccessful in obtaining seats for the 2018-19 school year. However, under one of the transport services there are two trips in the afternoon: one at 2 p.m. and one at 3 p.m. A total of 11 of the 12 ineligible children have received tickets on the afternoon service only.

The Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills, Deputy Halligan, has been working on this issue in several locations throughout the country. He is open to engaging with communities. He is not in the country at the moment but I will certainly ask him to meet Deputy Funchion to establish if there is any way that a local solution can be found to this important matter.

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