Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

With no disrespect intended to the Minister of State, my questions were not answered at all. I know it is very difficult for him because this is not his remit or his area. We need the Minister for Education to come in so that she can provide direct answers to direct questions that have been presented. I asked two questions. First, what is the Minister doing to ensure the chaos we saw in Wicklow last September, and indeed in previous Septembers, does not happen next year? Second, how can she give confidence to parents in Wicklow that if they pay for their ticket, a bus will show up on day one of their child's school term and will continue for the duration of that term? Those are the questions I have asked. Parents want to know the answers because they have no faith in the system at the moment. It is a fantastic, long-running scheme. Hundreds and thousands of children across the country enjoy and have the benefit of it. I know that there are logistical difficulties, such as the issues with bus drivers. There are many difficulties, but there are also huge gaps.

The huge gap we see in Wicklow, which is probably a particularly bad spot for this, means that the Department is putting huge pressure on families and students. I do not think it is fair. It is particularly not fair because it is preventable if the Minister starts putting the work in now to ensure it does not happen again this year. We need to see Bus Éireann actively recruit. When I asked the Minister what she is doing, she said that this is not her responsibility and that it is up to the contractors. I do not think that is good enough because she is the Minister for Education, she is responsible for this scheme and she is responsible for getting those children onto the buses.

She takes the money from these parents and she should be providing the service.

The second question I asked was whether the reimbursement of moneys could be done on a term basis rather than parents having to wait until July. They are owed this money because the Department did not put a service in place for them in time and has not held up its end of the bargain when it comes to the contract parents have with it for the school bus service.

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