Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish to use my time to remind families about the 28 April deadline for parents to apply for school transport for the first time. This Friday, 28 April, is an important date. This applies to pupils who will be attending junior infants in a primary school or indeed first year in a post-primary school for the first time in the academic year 2023-24. It also applies to pupils who changed their home address or are attending a new school in that year. I commend my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Foley, who secured vital funding to ensure that school transport costs are reduced dramatically for the incoming year. The fee is capped at €50 per applicant at primary level and €75 at post-primary level. No family will pay more than €125 for the coming year. That will result in some families saving as much as €500 in one year. That is most welcome because people are currently under financial difficulty. I welcome that cost-of-living measure. However, the key message is that the closing date is this Friday, 28 April for all new applicants applying for school transport for 2023-24. I advise parents to get onto the portal and register.