Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the staff of the House and the volume of work they have done. I wish them a very happy break; it is well-deserved.

I wish to raise two issues. A review of school transport was started in September 2021. It is still not complete and has not been published. I am fearful of what August will bring. August in my office is the busiest time of the year with school transportation having been the top issue for the past five years. We will again have a scenario where we will have the big debate about concessionary tickets versus people who were on the bus previously and all this chaos. I am deeply concerned that we will have the same chaos and, therefore, I ask the Deputy Leader, through her good offices, to contact the Minister for Education to see whether we can get clarity about this review to make sure we do not have the chaos at the end of August we have had for the past few years.

On a positive note, I acknowledge that 200 special classrooms have been allocated starting next September. It is a really positive story to have 200 special classes, nine of which are in my constituency. Not alone that, Bandon Grammar School, a secondary school that had no special classrooms, the campaign for which I was very much involved, is now getting two starting in September. Major strides are being made regarding special classrooms. We need to sort out the school transportation issue sooner rather than later, however, or else we will have a chaotic August and September like we have had previously.