Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is doing everything possible to deal with the concessionary ticket situation and also late payments by those eligible for school transport. The overriding consideration has been the implementation of the NPHET recommendation to reduce numbers by 50%. That was given some time ago but it has involved additional expenditure of between €100 million and €120 million. The transport operators, CIÉ and the Department are saying this had to be resolved first by creating the additional capacity required in advance of trying to deal with the concessionary issues in some cases and the eligibility question. It has been an enormous logistical exercise. When the recommendation to reduce numbers was made, we said we were not in a position to implement it immediately because it came a week before schools opened. The Department has been working flat out with the operators to increase capacity and Cabinet has approved the resources to achieve the 50% figure. However, that has slowed down and inhibited the capacity to deal with the other issues we would like to deal with. Believe me, every Deputy in Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, the Labour Party and other parties involved in this is putting pressure on in relation to school transport. We are doing far more this year than we did last year, by the way, but I take on board what the Deputies are saying and will continue to work on it.

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