Joanna Tuffy (Labour)

The Minister of State gave the figures for the huge number of children who use the school bus service. It is almost a year since the tragic accident last year in Meath, in which five schoolgirls lost their lives. There have been seven accidents since then, with one resulting in a fatality. It is an urgent issue that must be addressed.

The Minister of State outlined what the Government is doing about it but I have a number of questions. I have found some contradictions in her statement. On the recommendations of the working group, she stated, "the measures included the phasing out of three-for-two seating on post-primary services by the end of December 2005". Later she stated, "At this stage, one-for-one seating is in place on all but 31 of the 2,500 post-primary services." That means the target was not met.

The Minister of State also spoke on what she said was "the immediate fitting of seat belts on the Bus Éireann school bus fleet; and the setting of a target date of December 2006 for private buses in the scheme to be fitted with approved seat belts". Later she stated:

Bus Éireann has commenced retrofitting seat belts on its own school bus fleet and work is progressing well ... already 210 of Bus Éireann's cohort of approximately 650 school buses have been fitted with seat belts.

The targets laid down by the working group have not been met. Although much welcome work has been done, the Government should at least meet the targets of its working group, particularly when it is expecting private contractors to do so by 2006.

To meet the phasing out of the three for two school buses, some 2,600 extra vehicles have been hired. Will the Minister of State clarify if those buses are required to have seat belts and have in place the other required safety standards? The Minister of State referred to how our legislation complies with EU directives in this area. Has domestic legislation been drafted for requirements for school bus safety to ensure it is on a statutory basis? While we may consider the EU directive, we must draft our own laws.

I note from parliamentary questions the Minister for Transport stated a review is being carried out by the Department on safety on school bus transport. A comprehensive audit must be completed to include the buses involved, the routes used and their safety, bus drivers and insurance. It is possible for the Government to do this in a relatively short time.

The overall road safety issue needs to be tackled. Safe driving plays a large part in the prevention of road accidents. We must ensure our roads are safe. That seems to have been a major factor in the Meath school bus accident. Although the school bus fleet has increased, it could be better. In many suburban areas in west Dublin, large numbers of schoolchildren are taken to school by car. Some of the distances justify an extension of the school bus transport system to these areas. Such a move would also help in tackling traffic congestion in these areas. South Dublin County Council is carrying out a feasibility study on providing a local authority run school transport system. It may cost money in the short term but, in the long run, it will save money.