Tom Morrissey (Progressive Democrats)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. We are holding these statements in the context of a bleak year in the safety of our school transport system. Recently there was a fire on a bus in County Meath and in another incident, a 13 year old boy fell from the emergency exit of a school bus in Monaghan. Last month, a school bus and a waste disposal lorry were involved in a collision near Roscommon, resulting in seven teenagers and another passenger being taken to hospital. There was also the tragic death of Michael White near Clara in County Offaly and the five teenage schoolgirls who died following the crash in Kentstown near Navan last year. The House will join in restating our expressions of sympathy and regret to all those who are hurt or who suffer loss on our roads. The current situation is not acceptable and we must try harder to make our transport system as safe as possible.

There is no doubt there are problems with the school transport system. That is acknowledged and steps are being taken to address the issue. We must examine the situation objectively. More than 135,000 children are carried on school transport services each day to primary and post-primary schools. Taxpayers invest over €120 million in the service and deserve the best and safest facilities for their money. In addition to this service, Bus Éireann also provides 10,000 tickets to school children to travel on local and national bus and rail services. More than 3,200 vehicles are on the road every day ferrying children to and from school. These are both Bus Éireann and contractor vehicles. The operation is a large one and any adjustment will not happen easily or overnight, although some in this House have spoken as if that were possible.

It is not useful to make statements to the effect that the transport fleet that is entrusted to take our children to school is now the least safe method of public transport. Nor is it any great comfort to those who were injured or who have lost a loved one to know that Ireland has one of the best international safety records with regard to school buses. In this area, as in many others, we must make further progress in reaching a reasoned and useful assessment.

The school transport system is an extensive operation and thankfully, the school bus fleet has had a good record since its introduction in the late 1960s. Much of the debate on school transport safety has centred on the age of the bus fleet. The average age of the fleet, comprising both Bus Éireann and private buses, is approximately 11 years. This is not of particular concern. We should move away from a discussion of the age of the fleet and focus on the issues that concern parents, for example, the roadworthiness of the buses that ferry children to school.

Roadworthiness is a key factor, although it is not always a black and white issue. The bus that was involved in a fire recently, for example, had passed its annual roadworthiness test last August and was checked, under the maintenance programme, at the end of March of this year. Therefore, focusing on the age of the bus, roadworthiness testing or any other single issue will not provide us with all of the answers.

One concern about the roadworthiness checks is the fact that they are carried out by CIE staff, which is a less than ideal situation. If possible, school buses should be checked independently, but given the numbers involved, such a change is easier said than done. That said, I commend the Government on its recent move to investigate this possibility.

Another topic that is often highlighted when school transport is discussed is the fitting and wearing of seat belts. Again, there is no easy solution to this problem. Recently a boy fell from the emergency exit of a school bus. That bus was fitted with seat belts and signs instructing the children to wear the safety belts. In that context, solutions are not as obvious as some would lead us to believe.

I recently read correspondence from the Canada Safety Council to the National Safety Council of Ireland on the issue of bus safety. The council pointed out that, statistically, the school bus is the safest way for children to get to and from school. Without a bus, children are exposed to the risk of walking to school or using other forms of transport. Most injuries happen outside of the school bus. Children are 16 times more safe riding in a school bus than any other passenger vehicle. The Canada Safety Council also argues that seat belts would not make school buses any safer.

We know there are problems with the school transport system. The system itself is extensive and there is no single, easy fix to the problem. With regard to the age and road-worthiness of the fleet and the fitting of seat belts, we need reasoned, broad and considered action. Outrage, while understandable, or hand wringing and desk thumping, will only get us so far. We can do better and much work is being undertaken to improve the situation.

The school bus replacement programme has been in place since 2000. In that time, Bus Éireann has spent over €6 million on new vehicles. This will help to address the bus age and roadworthiness issues. All school buses operating within the school transport scheme will be equipped with seat belts from next year. The three children to two seats arrangement will be discontinued next year. The Government is to be commended for ordering a full review of the maintenance testing of Bus Éireann fleet vehicles and those contracted to the school transport service. We are making progress on a number of fronts and I am sure the Government will remain open-minded with regard to other steps that can be taken.

The National Parents Council has recently considered motions calling on the Department of Education and Science to introduce a road safety module to the primary school curriculum. It has also argued that it should be illegal for vehicles to overtake a school bus when it has stopped to pick up or set down children. I look forward to hearing the Minister of State's views on these ideas.

We cannot latch on to a single panacea, cure-all or silver bullet when it comes to school transport safety, or road safety generally. We know the issue is complex. Addressing the age of the bus fleet, examining the roadworthiness testing system and fitting seat belts are all part of the solution. None alone represents the entire answer. The Government is taking steps that will pay dividends but they will take time. I encourage all to be proactive, open minded and patient as we move towards delivering the safest possible transport system for the country's children.

I remember the introduction of the school transport system. Indeed, I used the school transport system in Cashel in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Without the school bus, I do not know how we would have got to school. I suppose we would have walked through the fields. A three-mile rule applied at the time and our house was only 2.6 miles from the school. However, we were picked up by the bus on the way out from the school, which meant that we actually travelled over seven miles to school every morning. My fondest memories of that time are of the journeys and the social interaction that took place on the buses.