Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)

This is my first opportunity to have a debate in this House with the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, since his appointment as Minister of State with responsibility for special education and school transport. We could not have a more committed, compassionate, empathetic person in this role than him. I say that from previous experience on the disability matters committee and in other areas. It does not surprise me at all that he is taking this matter. In so many scenarios, other Ministers are sent to deal with sensitive issues, so I really appreciate him taking the time to be here.

South Kildare is a growing area. We have excellent schools in Newbridge and Kildare town, but with the population growing, there are not enough places. We are practically at capacity at primary school level and over capacity at second level. A commitment was made by the previous education Minister that we would have a new school at McGee barracks, on the edge of Kildare town, close to the Curragh, and that it would be where the children who did not have places in current schools in Newbridge and Kildare would go. We are still waiting for the shovel to go into the ground, even though that is happening at pace. What we do in the interim is important to the pupils, who deserve, need and expect a secondary school place, as do their families.

Curragh Community College is an excellent school under the auspices of the ETB. The principal, Ms Nessa Doyle, and her staff are second to none in terms of the work they do in a very outdated building and with the support of the Department of Defence, which is also the patron of the school. They have opened their facilities and got extra accommodation to deal with the extra numbers, bringing the school to more than twice the number it had physically been able to take. I commend them.

The problem is transport. The Curragh camp was originally a thriving community. It is not now. Sadly, the focus has not been on continuing to have families live there. There is a natural hinterland for families from the Curragh area but now we have students coming from Newbridge and Kildare town.The problem is that no school transport has been laid on. As the Minister of State will know, the policy is that, where there are more than ten students travelling, Bus Éireann, which has the contract, is to put on a bus for those young people but it never has. It is simply not good enough. There is some type of public transport system from Newbridge but it is not consistent. Sometimes the bus takes a different and varying route so pupils are often not able to get it or end up late coming into school. It is not their fault that there is not a school place for them in Newbridge or Kildare. The Department of Education is saying that, because they are outside the catchment area for this school, they are not entitled to school transport. I brought this up approximately two years ago and was told that it would be sorted. That was the pinch point, when the extra students were starting to go to Curragh Community College. Sadly, it is still not rectified. While we are waiting for this new school, it is really important that school transport is put in place for the students who have to travel from Newbridge and from Kildare town. The Department of Education has that responsibility and owes it to the students and their families.