John McGahon (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is wonderful. I might start my two minutes again, if that is possible. I do not usually do this because I tend to focus on one topic, but I want to focus on two topics today.

First, as we come into the summer season, school transport is obviously going to be a big issue for all of us. I do not understand why Bus Éireann has introduced a rule that to be a bus driver with Bus Éireann, a person must be under 70. There are plenty of bus drivers who are able to drive very safely at 70, 71, 72 and onwards. That should instead be based around either a medical assessment, an eyesight assessment or any sort of driving assessment, which would be much fairer than having a cut-off limit of 70. There are many drivers who are driving all around Ireland on tour buses and everything else who are over 70, but they cannot do a five-mile run in and out the road for a school bus tour because they are over that age. I would appreciate it if the Department could speak to Bus Éireann with a view to looking again at that.

The second issue is in regard to the housing assistance grant in County Louth. Louth County Council has said it is not accepting any new housing adaptation grant applications until January 2024. This has been raised in the Dáil by most of the Oireachtas Members for County Louth. The Government provided Louth with €1.6 million earlier in the year and Louth County Council matched it, but it is saying it still needs a further €580,000 to facilitate the other applications that it wants to get across the line. It is asking the Department to facilitate that and I urge the Department to consider it.

I do not think it is acceptable that a local authority can say that it is not accepting any applications because it will not have sufficient money until next year. Some €1.8 million was given this year by the Department to Louth County Council. We cannot expect someone who is waiting for very serious alterations to their home with regard to medical needs, wet rooms and all of that type of thing to wait until January of next year. It is simply not fair. I do not think it is acceptable for a local authority to put the kibosh on this when it got €1.8 million earlier in the year.