Results 9,521-9,540 of 19,632 for speaker:Norma Foley
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)
Norma Foley: I am endeavouring, Chair, to answer a question that has been put to me. I should be afforded the time to do it-----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)
Norma Foley: There was discussion, communication and ongoing engagement with Bus Éireann in advance of the announcement by Government. Of course, they were formally informed of the decision. There is no decision until it is passed and verified by Cabinet. That is exactly what happened in this instance. That is true of any other initiative that is taken by Government. It does not come to pass...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)
Norma Foley: My officials were party to that and I will allow them to come in, but the discussions were part of the mechanisms that could be used. We looked at a variety of options and it included the free scheme.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)
Norma Foley: I have no issue with that. They do not have to come in. I am just saying I was not the one who was present; my officials were. I have no issue at all in telling the Deputy that all options were discussed with Bus Éireann.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)
Norma Foley: That is the Deputy's interpretation and let us be honest, the Deputy's interpretation is not always the same as that of everyone else in the room.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)
Norma Foley: I am stating the factual information and it is important that the Deputy listen to the facts, as opposed to his own information, when he was not in the room.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)
Norma Foley: Almost daily discussions and engagements take place with Bus Éireann. As regards the successful roll-out of the scheme, 124,000 young people are benefiting from a free scheme----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)
Norma Foley: -----as opposed to 103,000 who availed of the scheme last year. This scheme is a success for all those who are eligible. Let us not mistake the issue. The difficulty is for those who are not eligible and have not met the criteria. I have acknowledged and acknowledge once more that the number of concessionary ticket holders has increased by one third this year, but a cohort who are not...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)
Norma Foley: Equally, we have an additional 21% of people on the bus now who were not on the bus previously. Would the Deputy prefer that they were not on bus?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)
Norma Foley: The nature of concessionary-----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)
Norma Foley: The nature of concessionary-----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)
Norma Foley: I will finish my point and the Deputy is free to come in. The nature of concessionary tickets is that a child can avail of a ticket if the bus has capacity. However, in the interests of fairness, those who meet the eligibility criteria must be catered for first and that is exactly what we have done.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)
Norma Foley: We are catering for those who have met the eligibility criteria.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)
Norma Foley: They were not eligible in the first instance.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)
Norma Foley: I have just said to the Deputy that they were not eligible; they were there by virtue of being concessionary ticket holders. There can be different circumstances from year to year, and I have referenced this previously. For example more families move into an area or new housing developments are built. Concessionary ticket holders are there on the basis of additional availability on the...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)
Norma Foley: I am aware that in instances around the country, there are examples of those who received concessionary passes for the bus in the past and who have not received them this year. I am also aware that throughout the country, there are those who received concessionary passes last year and in previous years and who have received them again this year. As I have said there has been a one third...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)
Norma Foley: Again, I have answered the question in terms of the review previously. I instigated the review and know there are opportunities to do things differently within the school transport system. No one knows that better than me. I come from a rural constituency and appreciate the value of the school transport system. Interestingly, this whole debate has highlighted the value of the school...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)
Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy. We are working through the review. As I stated, it is a significant body of work. People wanted extensive engagement. They wanted all voices to be heard and all views to be considered as part of the review. We have thrown the net wide and there have been 8,000 engagements with parents, 2,000 engagements with students and engagements with bus providers, bus operators...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)
Norma Foley: To confirm what I have said previously, we are in ongoing daily discussions with Bus Éireann about all opportunities and what we are doing. I do not in any way to pre-empt the Minister, Deputy McGrath, and those discussions, but I am freely admitting and confirming that this is very much part of my discussion with him. We will have to see how that unfolds, but our engagement with Bus...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)
Norma Foley: I thank the Senator. It is important to say, and the Senator referenced it, that there are 124,000 children and their families benefiting from this system. It is a cost-of-living measure, which delivers a saving of up to €650. I acknowledge that concessionary tickets have always been a challenge. That is one of the reasons, though not the only one, that we are carrying out a...