Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

This is a timely debate and I welcome the Minister of State back to the House. We were colleagues together during the last Government term and I wish him well in his endeavours.

The school transport budget is a big ticket item, even though it has been reduced as the Minister of State has accepted, and unfortunately it appears set that there will be further reductions in it in the years ahead. It is a big operation. As the Minister of State said, 110,000 plus students, including 8,000 special needs students, avail of the service and there are 4,000 vehicles on the road which clock up 82 million km every year.

This scheme was the brainchild of a previous Fianna Fáil Government in line with our party's commitment to equality and cherishing all the children of the nation equally. Without it, there would not be access to second level education, particularly at current levels. I compliment everybody involved in the operation of the service from the administrators to the bus drivers who in many cases are the friendly face of the system for the pupils.

The value for money report recommended certain changes which it is accepted were enshrined in the national recovery plan. The then Fianna Fáil Minister, Mary Coughlan, prepared that and proposed a gradual phased changeover to the new system. This Government, as in many other instances, has implemented fully, almost slavishly, Fianna Fáil policy even though it berated that policy in opposition. It is on record that the current Minister, Deputy Quinn, was highly indignant about the then Minister, Mary Coughlan's, proposals even though the ones that are now being implemented are far more stringent.

It is interesting that we are having this debate now given that the schools started back in September and we are starting to witness teething problems with the changeover, of which the Minister of State will be aware, and every Member present will have some case on hand of families and communities that are upset about the operation of the system under the new regime, and that is the way it will be. There is a commitment that the operation of the system will be reviewed this side of Christmas. The Minister of State might clarify that in order that we can assess the level of the problems.

A key change is the move from the catchment area system at second level, which has been in place for a long time. No more than any other system, the system in place was not perfect and there were a number of anomalies in it which caused problems for families and communities and this system will probably prove to be the same. There will be problems and anomalies in it as no system is perfect.

The idea of attending the nearest school in theory is the right one. However, it will create problems for people on a number of levels, the detail of which I will not go into. I want the Minister of State to be as flexible as he can be in the way in which the programme will be implemented, particularly in areas where county boundaries are being broken and where families are being forced to send their children out of the county for the sake of a kilometre or two. That is a problem in many respects, whether it be in the area of one's cultural identity, county loyalty or the colour jersey one wears. People are more comfortable in their own county. Therefore, that is an aspect that needs to be examined.

The idea of siblings not being able in the future to attend the same school as their brothers and sisters will be upsetting for families. There may be a tradition of the children in a family attending a certain school and in most cases parents will dig deep into their pockets and pay for their children to attend the same school rather than attend a different one. There is also the question of subject choice. The nearest school may not necessarily be the most suitable school for a pupil. One pupil might be particularly gifted academically and the nearest school might be one where the main ethos is focused on technical subjects and so on and vice versa. These are all areas that will have to be examined.

I noted on reading a Dáil debate on this area that a Fine Gael Deputy raised an interesting point. A particular bus could be passing a student's door but it would be the wrong bus for that student and he or she would have to travel a considerable distance in a rural isolated area on winter days and nights to avail of the proper bus. I hope in the promised review that these matters can be ironed out.

The minimum number of students required to run a school bus service has increased from seven to ten. There should be flexibility around that requirement, especially in the more rural areas because essentially this is a rural problem. I do not think school transport is a major issue in Dublin city, although it may be, but the correspondence I receive on this issue is all from people in rural areas throughout the country.

The cost of school transport is increasing. This is happening when people are facing increased charges in terms of septic tanks and property taxation and increases in PRSI have been mooted. The Government effectively has doubled primary school transport costs. That was not envisaged in the previous Government's programme. The costs are sizable. The maximum cost for one family has increased from ¤110 to ¤220, which is a significant ask for parents. There is a ¤50 increase in the second level transport costs which brings the cost up to ¤350. The only way it can be paid is in one lump sum or in two instalments. I ask the Minister of State to reconsider this. Could the payment of two instalments of ¤175, which is a significant cost if it applies to more than one or two children in a family, be phased in over a 12-month period to give people an opportunity to meet the cost, bearing in mind the cost of school books and other costs.

I have heard reports that the administration of special needs transport is getting blocked up. There is a blockage in the pipeline. A number of colleagues on both sides of this House and in the other House have told me that the processing of applications for school transport for students with special needs is taking an inordinate amount of time. The Minister might examine that area.

I agree with the Minister of State that traffic safety must be paramount. We read horror stories every year of accidents involving young children stepping off buses where there is inadequate lighting and there are other such problems. The buses must be safe and must be run properly. That is the most important issue. I appeal to all parents to make sure that their children stringently observe all the rules of the road.