Brian Leddin (Limerick City, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for the answer prepared by the Department of Education. We have been hearing about this review for a long time and we know the system is not working. Multiple systems are working in parallel but are not efficient. What is happening in Pallaskenry is a microcosm of the wider problem, notwithstanding that number of students represents a small percentage of the total. It is a microcosm of the inefficacy throughout the system. I expect the review to show it is inefficient and needs to be fundamentally reformed and I think the main reform will involve giving the remit for school transport to the Department of Transport, as is the case in every other country. This is a public transport issue.

A bus leaves Ballybunion at 6 a.m. and gets to Foynes at 6.57 a.m. and to Pallaskenry at 7.38 a.m. That is far too early to be useful for those students and the next bus is far too late. There is an utter lack of co-ordination when it comes to these services. It makes absolute sense that transport would be taken out of the Department of Education. This is fundamentally a transport issue and it should be given to the Department of Transport. What we are seeing in Pallaskenry and elsewhere in County Limerick is a microcosm of a serious problem throughout the State.

This is not just about going to and from school; it relates to our climate challenge, quality of life and costs for families. A lot of these families have a second car because one of the parents has to drive the children to school. If we could provide the service, these parents could give up the second car and save a lot of money. This needs to be resolved not just for the young people of Pallaskenry and its surrounds but for the entire country.

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