David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her response. This review started in October 2019. I know we had a pandemic but it is still ongoing. I understand it is only this year that public representations are being sought. I am disappointed that the Department has no plans to make the change. I would like to know why not. Would it cause some major rupture to policy all over the place? Why is this not happening? Does the Minister not have the authority to do this?

The distance between the two centres is just over 7 km. I checked that and it is quite short. At the moment, however, parents have no choice but to apply to more than one school. Sometimes, they are applying to four different schools in the hope the child might get into one of them. That is leading to all these long waiting lists. If the parents and their child eventually get admission to a particular school, which is not the nearest, they will grab it with both hands because they are afraid they will have no place. The stress this is causing for children is shocking. Children aged 11 or 12 say all their friends have a school place but they do not, and they ask if something is wrong with them.

I am putting forward a very simple solution. If the Department has just decided it is not doing it then tell the Department to do it. I ask that the Minister actually gives an instruction to do this - make it one centre and get on with it. Let us take away the stress and pressure that is on people. It will not cost any more but it will relieve much pressure on Bus Éireann, parents, school principals and the pupils themselves.

As the Minister of State mentioned special education, I will also bring up the fact that many young children from my area with additional educational needs must travel very long distances to get to school. I have been saying repeatedly that we need a special school in east Cork in order that the school transport issue is solved there as well. Perhaps the Minister would look at that issue and come back to me at some future date. I again ask that the issue of education centres be looked at. We met the Minister last year on the same topic. This is a perennial issue. The solution is simple; let us get on with it.

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