Ulick Burke (Fine Gael)

The same format and topics are followed through the speech, so obviously the Minister of State is not prepared to move on this situation. Why is it that buses under contract to the Department of Education and Science are only replaced in an emergency? While the average age of buses is now just 12 or 13 years, what of the older buses? Many buses up to 18 years of age are still on the road and Bus Éireann will keep them on the road as long as they are ticking over. That is not good enough for the school transport system when safety should be the priority.

I hope the Minister of State sends a message to Bus Éireann that she expects reliability as we approach the examination season. Children should not be worried before an examination that they may not get to their examination centres. It is an issue many have raised with me due to children having to travel in inferior buses.

The Minister of State referred to catchment areas but only minor adjustments have been made in this regard since 1967. It was stated that some rural bus services have been maintained despite declining numbers but that situation has changed with the increase in population in recent years and it is now a factor only in rare circumstances. The issue of catchment areas should be examined in light of the reality of the situation on the ground.

I have always questioned, and did so at the recent committee meeting attended by the Minister of State, whether it is appropriate that a partner in education, the chief executive officer of vocational education areas, is the transport liaison officer. While it is becoming less of a factor, in most instances the chief executive officer has responsibility for schools within the vocational education committee area. While I do not say this with disrespect to any chief executive officer, it is not appropriate that the chief executive officer would continue to operate in this area. A liaison officer should be appointed who does not have any affiliation to schools within a catchment area.

The Minister of State will remember a situation in Kinvara, County Galway, where a parent had to drive behind a school bus for five miles from the family home to the catchment point before the children were picked up, despite the bus travelling by their door. Taken with the question of concessionary tickets, the two issues are an integral part of a serious problem in the school bus system. I hope the Minister of State will indicate that it is past time for a review of the catchment areas and concessionary ticketing. These programmes are welcome to many but they cause division among communities, neighbours and families because one child gets the service and another does not, and others are incorrectly blamed.

There are now 3,300 school transport vehicles in operation but I do not know what expenditure there has been on the replacement fleet. When vehicles are finished on the Dublin routes, they are cast aside and brought to rural Ireland to provide services. I checked on two buses recently which had given a lifetime of service for Dublin Bus before operating in a rural area for eight years.

I compliment Bus Éireann for transporting thousands of children over thousands of miles. However, there is now a greater number of vehicles on the roads and a greater need for safety. The Minister of State and the Government must categorically state that there will be an independent audit of the fleet. While the Government will choose who tests the vehicles, it should be done in an open, transparent way so all involved in providing school transport will be tested to the same standard, as is the case for all other commercial vehicles on the road.

Safety is the priority. These buses carry children. Everybody welcomes the fact we have made progress with regard to the wearing of seat belts and the two-for-one rule. However, the expenditure figures outlined by the Minister of State could be misrepresented in so far as the Government is obliged by legislation to provide for children with special needs, which we all welcome and which had to be done, but all of these services are provided by private carriers. This reflects the fact that Bus Éireann has not yet accepted the need to provide facilities whereby children with special needs could be integrated into the normal transport system.

The Minister of State referred to a flashing lights warning system, which is a wonderful initiative and one I hope will be extended. It is an important issue for many, particularly those using dark rural roads in winter. The Minister of State must insist fire fighting equipment is in place on every school bus.