Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I was interested to hear some of Senator Morrissey's comments regarding his memories of going to school. I also have memories of my time on school buses, but in the context of today's discussion, they might not be the most appropriate topic to deal with now.

The Minister of State has become very familiar with the safety concerns that exist since she took on the onerous task of dealing with school transport safety within the Department of Education and Science. There are difficulties surrounding the management of passengers on school buses and Senator Morrissey alluded to that fact. My own experience, as well as stories I have heard from bus drivers, backs up the fact that it can be a difficult task to control pupils. As Senator Morrissey has outlined, there is no single solution that will resolve the problems that exist.

I congratulate the Minister of State for resolving the seat belt issue and for ensuring that it will no longer be acceptable to carry three pupils to every two seats on buses. I applaud the way in which the Minister tackled these issues and fought hard to secure the necessary funding. Such changes will bring about a much safer situation for the transport of school children and are very welcome. However, we must ensure that students wear the seat belts that are put in place at enormous cost to the Exchequer.

Some contributors have said that travelling on a school bus is one of the safest ways to get to school. However, there has been an increase in the number of serious incidents involving school buses, some with very tragic consequences. It is important that school buses are maintained to a very high standard and perhaps the standard should be set even higher than is currently the case, particularly as more information becomes available and technologies improve.

I am concerned about the hiring of private buses by the State, through Bus Éireann, to augment the school bus fleet. I recently met members of the Private Association of Motor Bus Owners, PAMBO, which represents a large number of private operators who are doing their best to provide a good service. They expressed concern that the highly competitive nature of the tendering process has the potential to lead to a compromising of safety standards. While some would argue that such a statement is to be expected from PAMBO, its members argued that there are rogue operators within the private bus market who are prepared to drive down the tendering price by compromising safety standards.

Allegations have been made to me that vehicle test certificates can be bought. I have no direct proof of that but it has been brought to my attention that this happened in a number of cases. If that is true, it is very serious because if the State's testing system is being compromised it might jeopardise the service being provided. A number of bus operators would say that the rogue operators who have equipment that does not satisfy the safety standards but who succeeded in getting safety certificates are operating in an environment that allows them tender at a lower price and that the individual tendering the lower price sets the market for the others. Operators are indicating to me that they are not in a position to carry out regular maintenance on their buses because of what they call a cut-throat business. Their margins are at such a low level they are not in a position to ensure their fleet meets the required standard. If that is the case it is very serious.

I base that assessment on conversations I have had with members of PAMBO, people whom I know and believe to be of the highest repute. They are reputable operators and they are in a position to make these type of allegations. They indicate that there are people driving buses without the requisite licence to do so. If that is the case, it is very serious. If these rogue operators are in the marketplace they are creating difficulty for legitimate operators and a hand-to-mouth type situation which is making it more difficult to ensure safety standards are adhered to.

The cost of oil and other such elements are creating problems too. The Minister of State is aware of the figures. A total of €112 million is spent annually on school transport, 30% of which relates to children with special needs. The Minister of State outlined the position in detail. What she is doing in that area is of exceptional benefit to many people but there is a huge cost because of the support children must get in that regard. A total of €44 million of the allocation is spent on the private bus element and €36 million is spent on the public side through Bus Éireann. However, there are four times as many private buses in operation as there are Bus Éireann buses. There is a huge disparity in terms of the numbers yet the costs are relatively close. That appears to suggest we are not spending enough on the private fleet and seems to bear out the point made by the members of PAMBO.

I ask the Minister of State to inquire about the issue that has been raised and carry out a review of the standards of testing to ensure these rogue operators do not jeopardise the safety of our children. I have no doubt the proposed road safety authority will have responsibility for the management of the test and perhaps therein lies the solution.