Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Replies I received from the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Norma Foley, confirmed that as of last Thursday, 97,644 tickets had been issued for primary and secondary school transport, not including transport for students with special educational needs. The comparable figure this time last year was 103,764. That is a difference of 6,120 children. That is a lot of children who have been left without a service by the fixed constraints of the school transport scheme. Of course, the 33 children in Skreen are not included in that 6,120. Neither are the hundreds in Leixlip, north Louth, north Wexford, Donegal or Mayo. I could go on.

Can the Minister confirm the real numbers? He referred to a figure of 20,000. Is that the number of students who have been excluded this year for these reasons? What solutions will he, his Department, the NTA, Bus Éireann, the Department of Education and Skills and the Government as a whole provide for these children?

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