Joe Flaherty (Fianna Fail)

Unfortunately, Senator Craughwell is not here. I am not sure of his position on Fianna Fáil but not only did it introduce free school transport but it also introduced free schoolbooks and free school lunches. I am sure he will check the record because I know he likes to hear the virtues of Fianna Fáil.

I am a bit alarmed as I am probably starting to sound like my colleagues from Labour and Sinn Féin, but I too have reached a point where I believe the school transport system we have now, albeit a Fianna Fáil creation, has been overtaken by circumstances and other developments in transport. For example, we are spending €512 million on school transport while at the same time spending €658 million on the PSO and TFI transport network right across the country. There is a case to be made for integrating the school transport system into the TFI network, particularly in rural areas, to make the scheme more viable. There would be a significant cost saving. If one talks to bus drivers and people involved in the service, they will say the biggest challenge at the minute is finding drivers, but also buses. Ninety-five percent of the buses on the school transport system at the minute are provided by private operators, many of whom are also providing Local Link buses. It is a challenge for them because they have to have two buses out: one to serve Local Link and one to serve the school route. In reality, they probably just need one large bus to do the run, and, if needs be, a smaller bus if the run is successful.

The most difficult thing in my time as a politician has been calls about mental health services and school bus tickets. It is exasperating. When you get such a call, your heart sinks because you know that it is not going to be a happy outcome for the family 95% of the time. Families really cannot understand the concept of concessionary tickets. It makes no sense, particularly where a pupil gets a seat for four years and then suddenly does not get it for fifth or sixth year. It makes no sense to an affected family. It is an injustice to the family because both parents may be working, or maybe the family has minimal income and simply cannot afford to get those children to school.

Many have referenced the fact that transition into secondary school is a huge thing for children with many challenges in their lives. It is not for me to overstate them, but it is a big change. They want to go to a school where their friends are. It might be a small close-knit circle of friends, but they need to be with them to help them through the transition.

Just as the concessionary ticket does not make sense, neither does the nearest-school rule. Life and circumstances have changed. Different schools offer different things. The nearest school might not offer computer science, for example, whereas farther schools will. At the same time, we are trying to encourage young people to pursue STEM subjects. One might have a child that is quite bright and leaning more towards science subjects than general academic ones, and in truth that child needs to go to a school where computer science is on the curriculum and offered as a leaving certificate subject.

It is past time that we admitted the current school transport system is not working. The obvious solution is to integrate it into the wider network of transport, particularly the TFI network, which has been a huge success in the country. I pay tribute to the people working within TFI, particularly in respect of our local scheme. Damien O’Neill operates it from Mullingar. It is a fantastic service and it is continually improving. This is an obvious next step for us as a society and as a Government. If we are serious about the challenges we have in terms of climate and adapting to climate change, it makes no sense whatsoever to run duplicate buses on the same road on the same morning. It does not represent value for money. I would love to see whether a comparison has been done on the value for money achieved with the €512 million we spent in 2024 on school transport. I do not believe there is value for money, nor do I believe the service is meeting the demand. It is creating too much uncertainty for parents, but also for young children.

I thank the Minister of State for coming into the Chamber. I realise he has many hats to juggle in his Department, and that this is just another one. He is doing a great job.