Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the Chamber and I thank her for her update on school transpor, which is welcome at a time when families are dealing with a cost-of-living crisis for the cost of school transport to be waived for many families across the country. Many thousands of families have benefited. It was a really good news story that may not have received the feedback that it deserved because a lot of focus was placed on the smaller problem of the small numbers of students who were not accommodated immediately, which we are still working towards. It is important to acknowledge that there was a significant investment in school transport at a time when many families needed it and that help was really appreciated by many families.

In terms of the eligibility criteria and how we assess school transport, I thank the Minister and her office for their consistent engagement, getting back to people and working with us on a case-by-case basis to assist people. Those efforts are appreciated and I know that it took a lot of work to do that.