Paddy Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will briefly raise the issue of school transport. I ask the Deputy Leader to get the Minister for Education to come before the House as a matter of urgency. The Minister was before the education committee earlier. People understand the flexibility that was adopted by the Department of Health during the health crisis caused by the pandemic. People cannot understand why we cannot have that same flexibility within the Department of Education in the context of school transport, which has been in crisis. There are places such as Strade and Ballyvary that are in dire need of having the situation with school transport resolved. Buses are available, but it would seem that the Department is not in any way flexible. I have seen that over a number of years, not just with this Minister for Health but also with a number of his predecessors and successive Ministers for Education. The Department of Education is in no way flexible regarding school transport. I ask that the Minister come before to the House as a matter of urgency because what is happening is visiting great hardship on a large number of families who have a lot to put up with.