Seán Kyne (Fine Gael)

The Minister of State is welcome. I thank him for facilitating us in the Seanad with statements on an important and topical issue. It is raised every year.

I agree that the overall experience is positive. We often do not hear from the people who are happy and do not have an issue. That is a part of life. Many children are brought to school every day without any issue.

There are always concerns around the students who are not attending their nearest schools and those who fall just outside the thresholds for primary and secondary and all of that. My experience has varied in different years. Though well-intentioned, the removal of those a number of years ago led to an increase in demand despite the good intentions to pursue something desirable. Some positive changes have been facilitated locally through engagement with management through various channels. I acknowledge that. Changes have been made to the first pick-up points and end points of routes. Smaller buses have been rerouted to allow for ten children to be picked up in a rural area. That has had a positive impact for those children and particularly for their parents in terms of peace of mind, safer commuting and all of that. It must be acknowledged. That does not happen quickly. It happens as the result of engagement and if one is raising an issue now, it may be next year before changes can take place. Even if that is the case, it is something that could be laid down for the future, and that is a positive.Therefore, it is important that engagement continue and that local management work with the local representatives, who have suggestions and ideas on transport routes.

Senator Byrne has raised the closest-school issue. I have come across students who, because they chose not to go to the local school, were deemed ineligible for transport to their second-closest school. They were within the thresholds in relation to distance but because they chose not to go to the closest school, they were ruled out. That is slightly different from the point Senator Byrne has raised, which related to students excluded or precluded from attending a school. However, I certainly agree with his comment that this should be looked into, because it was outside the control of the parents in question.

I want to talk about the over-70s. I am sure that the Minister of State and everyone else will know in their hearts that there are issues in this regard, that they should be sorted and that those concerned should be accommodated. To be honest, there could be 71- or 72-year-olds who are fitter and healthier than a 50- or 52-year-old. If they are, follow the procedures and pass the health checks, they should be entitled and allowed to bring children on school runs. I am aware that the Minister of State’s Department, and the Department of Transport through the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, are looking at this, and I certainly hope they can come to a conclusion that can facilitate the over-70s. In some cases, they need to be available for relief driving, which could be for short periods. I believe they could be facilitated on the smaller buses, if needs be, or at least we could start there. There is an opportunity in this regard to provide additional capacity to address many of the issues that have arisen. In some cases, buses are not available, and in many cases drivers are not available. I have dealt with situations where drivers were not available at certain times for a period of weeks, and until drivers or buses were got, the pupils were discommoded. This should be sorted, and I believe the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, will be able to sort it with his colleagues in government.