Catherine Callaghan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)

I will add to what Deputy Keogh and many others have said about school transport in rural areas. The same thing seems to happen every year. I commend the Minister of State on the work he has done. The additional 8,000 bus seats that have been delivered this year are very welcome. Many of the difficulties I have dealt with across Carlow and Kilkenny relate to the allocation of concessionary tickets. There is a requirement to have a bit more transparency as to how the allocation of these tickets is decided upon. Many distraught parents came to me in the week school was returning because they discovered that their child who had a ticket all their school life is starting leaving certificate year and no longer has one. This causes stress and turmoil within a household. I know parents who had to take annual leave in order to get their children to school. The Minister of State has mentioned this matter, and I applaud his ambition. However, I would love if we could ensure that, from next year and going forward, there would be more of an alignment when it comes to students being informed about their school places and about whether they have places on school transport. That is going to be really important.

Deputy Keogh mentioned is the over-70s rule that exists in Bus Éireann regarding drivers. As a former SNA, I found out to my surprise this year that this rule also applies to people driving cars or taxies who bring children with special educational needs to school. A 71-year-old cannot drive a taxi on behalf of Bus Éireann to school but he or she can drive a particular child to swimming from his or her school later the same day. I would like that rule to be changed by Bus Éireann and the rule that prevents over-70s driving buses.

It would be good if we could get a quicker response in the context of the allocation of additional seats. Let us look at it, if we can, on a multi-annual basis, even though I appreciate that is not all down to the Department of education or, indeed, Bus Éireann. We need engagement with the schools. We also needs parents to decide quicker which school they would like their child to go to, particularly when it comes to secondary school, in order that we have a lengthier timeline when it comes to arranging the provision of school buses and bus tickets.

Children and families in rural areas are further disadvantaged because we do not have the option of a public transport system. However, I wish to recognise what the State does provide. It provides, on the whole, a seat for every child on a bus to their nearest secondary school. That is to be applauded, but it does not reflect what modern school-going patterns are like. There needs to be an evolution in this regard. Having said that, I recognise what the Department of education and the State provide.

I know parents who have been trying to get buses for the routes between Ballon and Bunclody, Rathvilley and Tullow and Grange and Knockbeg. We have been asking for additional capacity. I am glad to say that additional capacity was provided on the route from Grange, or Killerrig Cross, to Knockbeg, but parents did not know about that until the bus and the second bus departed on Monday last. They were still driving their children to school. The bus tickets were issued after the bus had already come into service. I am very grateful to the Department and to the Minister of State, with whom I engaged several times regarding that bus route. I am thankful for that additional capacity, as are the parents. They no longer need to take annual leave in order to bring their children to school.

To sum up, I would like to see a follow-through. I once again applaud the Minister of State's ambition to ensure that, subject to resources, a much closer alignment between students securing school places and the decisions on their applications for school transport. I would love to see the over-70s rule being looked at by Bus Éireann. I would also like to see the deadlines for applications and payment happening earlier in the school year. If the latter happens, families would not be faced with the avoidable stress and uncertainty about how their children are going to get to school and how hard-pressed working parents are going to facilitate dropping their children off and collecting them from school.

I thank the Minister of State for all the work he is doing. Please continue with the ambition and particularly with a further focus on rural school transport.

See this speech in context