Mary Moran (Labour)

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the Chamber to comment on the ongoing school transport problems experienced by a young lady from my constituency whose details I have submitted. She is 14 years old and has a history of monosomy 21, developmental delay and seizures and she is underweight. She attends a special school where she has settled in very well. Due to her medical condition she wears a back brace. At present the school bus collects her at 7.30 a.m. and she must spend an hour and 15 minutes on it before it arrives at school at 8.45 a.m. As a result the child is exhausted before she even starts school. This excessive journey time has affected her concentration and is hindering her opportunity to learn. Her parents have medical reports which support the opinion the present travel arrangements expose their daughter to additional risks of seizure. When school finishes at 2.45 p.m. the long journey is repeated. Therefore the travel time every day for this young lady is two and a half hours.

This is an unnecessarily long day, particularly for a child who wears a back brace which undoubtedly adds to her discomfort. There is a very simple and cost-effective solution to the issue. Another bus travels 2.6 km from the child's house and leaves later in the morning, which would give her and her family valuable extra time. It travels directly to the school and arrives there in less than 30 minutes. The child's parents have been trying to have their daughter transferred to this bus but so far have been unsuccessful. I spoke to the Bus Éireann inspector who reports he has no objection to the proposal. I appeal for some sensitivity in dealing with school transport for children with special needs. Last year I experienced a similar situation with my child and fully appreciate the frustration this family experiences. For parents to have an extra half an hour to help their child in the morning when that child has special needs is like an extra six hours to somebody else. Allowing this young lady to travel on the other bus would give the family substantially more time with their daughter in the morning to prepare for school and would not entail the pressure and strain in place at present.