Pat Moylan (Fianna Fail)

I support Senators Kitt, Burke and Bannon in calling for a debate on school transport. I extend our sympathies to the White family and all concerned in a very tragic accident yesterday near Clara. We can speak of school transport and an inability to get it, but my information is that there is a secondary school in Clara but it is the choice of parents to hire a private bus to bring their children to Killina. We must have uniform standards for all school buses, irrespective of whether they are hired privately or run by the State. A mechanical failure was the cause of this incident, and these events can happen without notice, unfortunately.

I wish to make a brief comment on penalty points. I have listened daily to people in this House calling on the relevant Minister to do something about road safety. The Minister for Transport, as part of the Government, introduced 31 new penalty point offences, but what has then happened? The media, and many public representatives, have condemned the Minister for this action taken in the interest of road safety. I am wondering where these people are coming from.