Martin Daly (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)

I acknowledge the Minister of State's exceptional commitment to his brief since he was appointed and his approachability at all times to help us solve problems in our constituencies. School transport is not a luxury. It is a necessity for thousands of families, including many in my constituency. Every school day, 180,000 children rely on the service, which is one of the largest logistical operations managed by the State. However, the system as it stands is too rigid and inflexible. When a child's nearest school is full, parents are often left with no choice but to enrol their child in another school in a different locality and yet they are not guaranteed a seat on the bus because of the nearest school rule. This leaves families in an impossible position. They have secured a school place for their child but they cannot get them there. This problem is especially evident in Ballinasloe. The presence of Portiuncula Hospital means there is a constant turnover of medical staff - registrars, consultants and essential workers who move to the town with their families. These families are essential to the running of the hospital and the provision of healthcare in the region and yet too often they find that no school transport is available for their children at primary or post-primary levels. This creates serious logistical pressures for parents who are working long hours, on-call rosters and shift work in a busy regional hospital.

The review of the school transport scheme highlighted many of these issues and made welcome recommendations. These include reducing the distance criteria and removing the strict requirement to attend the nearest school in situations where existing bus routes already serve the area or where there is sufficient parental demand. These are sensible and pragmatic proposals but they must be implemented carefully and effectively. Capacity remains the central challenge. We need enough buses, enough drivers and proper planning to ensure every eligible child who applies on time is guaranteed a seat. Part of the solution must involve making bus driving a much more attractive career with secure hours, fair pay and a pipeline of trained drivers so we can meet growing demand. Parents are willing to pay the modest fees of €50 for a primary pupil and €75 for a post-primary pupil with a family cap of €125 but what they really need is certainty that transport will be available. I believe there is a real opportunity to get this right. If we follow through on the recommendations of the review and invest in the necessary capacity, we can deliver a scheme that is fair, reliable and sustainable and that meets the needs of families into the future.

See this speech in context