Tim Lombard (Fine Gael)
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I raise an issue regarding calls for protocols to be put in place for students repeating their leaving certificate to have access to the school bus system. It is a huge issue in my part of the world. At the moment, we have up to 1,800 or 2,000 students repeating the leaving certificate every year. A majority of these students have access to school transport but because they are outside the timelines for applying, they are not eligible to get a seat and are then outside the criteria. They could have used a bus for five or six years. However, because they are repeating the leaving certificate, they do not qualify for a bus because they did not apply in time. The application date for a seat is 5 May. Students do not get their leaving certificate results until 16 August so, realistically, the only way I can see around the issue, if a protocol is not put in place, is that students who do their leaving certificate should apply for their seats for the next year just in case they repeat their leaving certificate. That is an illogical way of dealing with the issue.

This is a practical problem. We have people who are trying to improve their results, work hard and do what they can but they are denied seats on buses because they are outside the timelines despite the fact they had a bus seat for six years. This is not a budgetary issue but is in many ways a protocol issue to ensure that this cohort of students, who are doing their utmost to ensure that they improve their grades and where they go in life, can have ease of access to the nearest place of education. We need a special protocol for leaving certificate students who repeat the leaving certificate. Over 1,800 are repeating the leaving certificate this year. The majority of them were on the school bus system for five to six years and they need to have access to that. At the moment, if there is no seat available, they have no access and the line they get from the Department is that they did not apply on time. It is illogical to have leaving certificate students applying for a bus for next year just in case they do not get certain results.

We need to have flexibility in the Department. I can describe many instances where people who have been on the bus for six years repeat their leaving certificate but because they did not apply on time, they have no bus for the year in which they are repeating the leaving certificate. It is a huge issue. I hope I can get a suitable protocol put in place in the near future because these students deserve school transport and access to education. It is a very practical issue.

John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
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I thank the Senator for raising this matter. School transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. Over 114,000 children, including almost 12,000 children with special educational needs, are transported in over 4,500 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million km at a cost of approximately €190 million annually. The purpose of the post-primary school transport scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside somewhere remote from their nearest school.

Children are eligible for transport where they reside not less than 4.8 km from and are attending their nearest post-primary centre as determined by the Department and Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language. The closing date for applications for school transport is the last Friday in April each year and the closing date for submitting payment details is the last Friday in July. However, Bus Éireann continues to process applications and payments after these deadline dates and where possible children are accommodated on school transport services where spare seats are available. Children who wish to repeat their leaving certificate examinations should liaise with their local Bus Éireann office if they wish to avail of school transport for the next school year. Where there is spare capacity on existing services, Bus Éireann will issue tickets for these children. However, if all seats on a particular service have been allocated already then it may not be possible to facilitate children repeating their leaving certificate. It is not practical for Bus Éireann to maintain spare seats on every service to ensure that children who may repeat their leaving certificate can be accommodated. Children who pay for seats on school transport services who subsequently are not accommodated will receive a full refund.

There is not any eligible child in Ireland who does not get school transport or a payment to help with transport to school. The difficulty we have is with concessionary provision. The scheme was laid out in the first place to deal with eligible children going to their nearest school. The difficulty we have now is that we have almost 3,000 children availing of concessionary provision. I always make the point that it is important to know that if a bus is coming from a village, town or city and is a 20-seater bus with 18 eligible children on it, we will facilitate two children under concessionary provision on that bus. The difficulty is that if an eligible child from that village, town or place makes himself or herself available, we have no choice under legislation and criteria laid down to put that eligible child on the bus.

I take on board what the Senator says in this regard and might speak to him further about it. If he were to give me specific details, I would be delighted to talk to him and Bus Éireann to address it. My view has always been, and I have taken many questions on this, that if I had my way, I would try to facilitate as many children as possible but we are restricted under the scheme laid down under the value for money review put in place in 2011, backed by the Dáil. The system is excellent. Some 99.9% of people are very happy with the system. It is one of the best in Europe.It provides great value for money and as I say, an eligible child or a child with special needs is guaranteed school transport. The difficulty is that based on the criteria laid down in legislation, we cannot guarantee a place for concessionary children. When a bus is full, either with eligible children or with eligible children and some concessionary children, then we always have to remove a concessionary from the bus, and that creates a difficulty.

Tim Lombard (Fine Gael)
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I am disappointed with the Minister of State's response. There are eligible children who have been eligible for six years, and used the bus for six years. They were not concessionary, they were eligible. However, because they are repeating their leaving certificate, they do not get a seat. Students receive their leaving certificate results on 16 August. They currently need to apply for a seat on the bus on the 5 May. In other words, they have to apply before they actually sit their leaving certificate.

The system is broken where people who repeat their leaving certificate are concerned. I take on board that the Minister of State thinks it is a good system. However, it does not take into account the 1,800 people who repeat their leaving certificate. That is a huge cohort. These people are going through stress. They have huge problems going back to sixth year, going into a new school environment and pushing themselves to get great results. They do not need this stress and hassle. They have spent six years on the bus, but because they are outside the timeline they do not get a seat. We need a special protocol for this cohort. The system is broken when one takes into consideration the way it deals with them.

John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
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The difficulty arises with the dates that are laid down for payment and for applications, which run from April to July. I understand that it is after that period that children who wish to repeat their leaving certificate will want to avail of school transport. The problem that we face is a practical one. By that date, all of the buses are almost always full. By then we have allocated seats first to eligible children and then to concessionaries, though I note that it is almost always eligible children on the bus. I understand the Senator's concern, and it is an issue that should be looked at. The date at which one of these students will decide to repeat their leaving certificate falls outside of the April and July dates set down for payment and application.

I ask the Senator to let me come back to him on this issue. I will give him my word on that. I will talk to Bus Éireann and the Department. However, the difficulty does not arise from buses with spare seats passing areas by. If the Senator finds that there is a bus with spare seats passing by an area, and children who are repeating their leaving certificate are not getting those seats, I invite him to come to me and I will change that. That is a guarantee. My difficulty at present is that almost in their entirety, all of the buses are full.