Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)

On behalf of the Minister of State with responsibility for special education and inclusion, I thank the Senator for raising this very important matter on behalf of the families he represents in Wexford. I know myself how important school transport is. It is the lifeline of many communities. I fully appreciate the urgency of the matter. As the Senator will know, the school transport scheme is a significant operation that is managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education and Youth. School transport is such an important service for families across the country and I am pleased to say that the scheme has expanded significantly over recent years thanks to continued Government investment ensuring more and more children are supported with access to it. The number of children and young people using the service has grown from under 120,000 pupils in 2018 to almost 178,000 pupils in 2025, which is a significant increase in the investment by any measure.Notwithstanding this, as the Senator has mentioned, issues still arise where services are not in place. In this regard, and on specific issues raised by the Senator, Bus Éireann has advised that pupils residing in Wexford town are not eligible for school transport to Good Counsel College in New Ross as this would not be the nearest post-primary centre for the pupils concerned. Bus Éireann has further advised that there is no school transport scheme from Wexford town to the New Ross post-primary centre. The Minister of State recognises that the school transport scheme is vital to families in certain areas to support them in bringing their children to school.

The Minister of State also acknowledges that there is still work to do in the expansion of the school transport scheme as committed to in the programme for Government. This is supported by the analysis that has been undertaken as part of the school transport 2030 review, which demonstrates that school transport schemes play a really important role for many families. The review's recommendations detail how the provision of school transport can be expanded to over 260,000 children and young people with transport to and from school each day. Such expansion would have a hugely positive impact on working families and rural communities such as the Senator's in Wexford and will provide young people with self-confidence and independence. It would also reduce our carbon emissions and traffic congestion.

The recommendations are being pursued on a phased basis through pilots around the country and the intention is to advance these further in the years ahead. The continued growth of the school transport scheme is contingent on resources being made available and we would hope that budget 2026 will provide that opportunity. I know the Minister of State is committed to working to ensure funding is secured in each budget to fully fund these programme for Government commitments. While I do not hold direct responsibility in this area, I will raise the concerns the Senator has raised here today and bring them directly back to the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan.