Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I claim a bit of credit for it as well. I thank the Taoiseach for outlining the actions that are to be taken. It is heartening to hear his personal commitment to tackling climate change as well as investing in and supporting climate action measures. This is the first Government to put in place legally binding limits and targets and it has taken many progressive steps to tackle climate change and take climate action seriously.

What is being done to ensure school transport plays a part in reducing emissions, particularly within the transport sector? The issue of school transport, in essence, not working in many locations throughout the country was raised three or four times on questions on policy or legislation as well as during questions to the Taoiseach. The potential of taking thousands of cars off the road daily with an effective school transport system is immense. We need to grasp it. There is a review coming. I will bring this to a local level; I am not ashamed to do so. In the Ballinhassig area, which is in my constituency, more than 30 students are impacted by this issue. That is more than 20 families who have to put their children into cars. They follow the existing school buses that pass by their houses and along their roads, following them in fossil fuel cars in most instances. That is a result of the crazy second school rule and eligibility. It needs to change. If we could get those 30 cars off the road, it would be a start. It all adds up. It is death to climate change by a thousand cuts. We need to sort that issue out. Those parents and children in Ballinhassig are in desperate need of a school bus place. Providing those places would be a start. It is one of many areas throughout the country where that crisis is being faced.

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