Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State. I appreciate that when dealing with his ministerial responsibilities he has inherited a system and must do his best to manage it. This is an incredibly important scheme. I benefited from this type of scheme when I was a young boy in travelling from Malahide to attend primary school in Baldoyle and I am well aware of its benefits.

I raise an individual case which has been raised with the Minister of State by my party colleague, Deputy Sean Sherlock, relating to a Church of Ireland child in Mallow, County Cork. However, the main issue I wish to address is that I have listened to other Senators saying what an important scheme this is and how supportive they are of it. However, the Minister of State is aware, as am I, of rumours, allegations and question marks in parts of the country regarding contractors, subcontractors and so on. Perhaps it might be time for an external review of the entire system. It is an incredibly important service and access to education is fundamentally important to the State. The ability of children to access a school is hugely important, as is the ability of the State to provide the service. The Minister of State knows as well as I do that in certain parts of the country there are whispered allegations of who got what contract, how they got it and so on. This is Ireland, after all. Is the Minister of State aware of local tensions or rumours about local contracts to provide school transport?Would the Minister of State be willing to discuss the possibility of having an absolute root and branch investigation as to how the service is being rolled out? At €180 million annually it is a lot of money but it is money that needs to be spent to ensure that children can access their schools. At the same time, is it being spent effectively and can we find a mechanism so that everybody has trust in the system? It is my understanding from listening to colleagues around the country - and I do not believe I am saying anything here that would shock anybody - that there tends to be a level of rumour and speculation as to how and why somebody got a contract, how it is being done and how safe that individual transport agency is.

I wish to raise an individual issue, which I believe the Minister of State has come across already, that relates to a child who attended a Church of Ireland school in Mallow. I know the Minister of State has corresponded with Deputy Sherlock on this issue. The child in question is Sharon Dawson, the daughter of Rachel Dawson. This is on the public record and I am not naming anyone who has not previously been named. The daughter was attending a Church of Ireland school in Mallow, County Cork, but the school is no longer in existence. The arrangement during the school closure was that the entire enrolment of that school be moved to the community national school, Scoil Aonghusa, a move which places this child outside of the 3.2 km zone for eligibility for school transport. She is being encouraged by the Department to attend a different school even though the entire enrolment of her Church of Ireland school has now decamped to the community national school. The child does not qualify, technically, for the free school transport scheme.

Deputy Sherlock, the parents and others who advocate on behalf of the child are saying that the religious background of this child is militating against her. This situation could be easily rectified. It was a decision of the patron, in conjunction with the Department of Education and Skills, to move the entire student body from school A to school B, and this child was attending that school. It would make perfect sense, therefore, that if the decision was made the child would be facilitated with the school transport scheme to enable her to attend the school. The Department, however, feels otherwise.

Our education system is a complex one and is interwoven with all sorts of issues. It is very problematic with patronage and all the rest of it. Religion and faith is all woven within that. It is the system we have, is the system we have inherited and is the system we must work under. It is reasonable that if the child is part of a school body that is moved to a second school, and she is willing to attend that school, then the school transport would be provided as a result. I know the Minister of State has corresponded with Deputy Sherlock on this matter and I know the Minister of State is particularly sympathetic to the situation, but the situation persists. Will the Minister of State look at it? I also have correspondence from Canon Eithne Lynch who feels strongly about the matter. Perhaps the Minister of State could raise the issue and get it resolved. Obviously, come September it would be great if the child could be facilitated.

The overall issue is that it is an incredibly important system. It is important that across the House we all acknowledge that children must be able to access school. That is fair enough. I do not think, however, that we can dismiss outright the rumour mill that happens in various parts of the country. I always get concerned when the State cannot absolutely 100% provide for services and they have to be outsourced. There is any amount of potential for conflicts of interest, for accusations and for diminution of standards. When the State is involved, at least then one can have an over and back, there is accountability and a row can be had with the Minister or the CEO of the agency. When it is sub-contracted out there is always a question mark over standards, safety and all the rest. We do not really need to go down that line again; we have had too much pain in that regard in the past.

Without putting too much pressure on the Minister of State, my party and I believe that the time has probably come to make the case for an independent or external review - or whatever phraseology is needed - of the entire system and how it is working so people can have faith in the system, in the way the tenders are given out, in the way the sub-contracting arrangements are made and if they are actually fit for purpose. I appreciate that the Minister of State is dealing with a situation that he feels strongly about. I know that he is happy to meet with any delegation and any Member of the Oireachtas to deal with certain issues of concern. I ask the Minister of State to give his own reflections on whether or not a root and branch review is needed of how the entire system is being operated. I feel strongly about the situation of the child in Mallow, County Cork, and the representations made to me by Deputy Sherlock. Perhaps that matter could be resolved.