Sheila Terry (Fine Gael)

We are getting reports this morning of concern being expressed for children dropped off unsupervised at schools at least an hour before their schools open. This is a result of both parents working and needing to leave their homes earlier than should be the case because they must travel in heavy traffic to drop their children off at school at 8 a.m. or earlier in some cases. I ask that the Minister for Education and Science come to the House or that we address this issue and see if it is possible to put in place a system whereby, at the very least, children are supervised during this time. Following on from our debate yesterday on early childhood learning, this situation is a knock-on effect of the Celtic tiger and our lack of proper public transport and measures to enable people to balance work and life. Children are suffering in this situation, which needs to be addressed.