Martin Mansergh (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the report presented by the Minister of State, Deputy de Valera, outlining the improvements that have been possible to make to school buses. The school bus system is an essential everyday social service for thousands of children. To a point, one can only judge if it is an issue from the representations one receives. From my regular meetings with school principals in south Tipperary, I do not recall the school bus service ever being raised with me. In the few instances parents raised it with me, it was because their son or daughter had to go to a school closer to home but not one which the family went to over several generations.

We cannot ignore the tragedies that have occurred. Having worked in Government, I know the Minister of State is not a free agent in these matters. If there is anything the Department of Finance keeps an eagle eye on, it is the costs of the school bus service. Over the years, reports have been commissioned to see if some way could be found to reduce the escalating costs of it. It was understandable. Due to the paucity of resources available, old buses on a make-do and mend basis were employed.

The current bus fleet is not as old as it was ten years ago. Improvements have already been made. The Minister of State referred to 20 new purpose-built buses. It will not happen this year or next year but I would like to see a dedicated school bus fleet. All such vehicles have an operational lifespan but there is no justification for carrying our children round in buses that are older than the fleet used for bus users in general. The contractors that carry out this service for the Department of Education and Science, including principally Bus Éireann, are carrying out a public, social service. The resources we put into safety reflect the value we as a community place on the safety of our children. I acknowledge the Minister of State outlined progress in her speech but we should be ambitious in the long term.

Picking up on Senator Tuffy's remarks, there are many solo school runs by car that use up a lot of energy and give off emissions. Any sensible family, if there is a bus or train service close by, should use it. It should be Government policy to facilitate that because the school run contributes to congestion.