Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I am not sure from where the 12-week figure referenced by Deputy Flaherty in the context of a delay in Bus Éireann completing the review comes. My understanding is that the Department of Education and Skills will be coming to the Government within a much shorter timeframe with a review of the further changes we need to make to the public school transport system in response to the health advice. The system Bus Éireann and the Department set up in very difficult circumstances responded effectively and in a timely manner, with procedures and mechanisms to ensure children would be safe on buses as well as in their schools. Due to the unfortunate spike in numbers in the second half of August and early September which no one could control or manage, further health advice provided a short time before schools were due to return stated that further spacing should be catered for in order to follow public health advice to the letter. The Government made a decision to proceed with the plans that had been put in place because it was critical to get children back to school. I think that was the right decision. It was critical that children returned to school. There are and have been real difficulties, as all Members acknowledge. There are always difficulties with regard to the school transport system, such as schoolchildren not having the relevant concession. The Government agreed to see whether it could contract several hundred additional buses in order to meet the further health advice. That is what the Department of Education and Skills is now doing. I expect it to revert to the Government on the matter in the not too distant future and the House will be updated on that basis.

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