Chris Andrews (Sinn Fein)
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Before we start, I welcome Deputy Michael Cahill and his two guests. I suspect they may not have gone home since the weekend and are still celebrating Kerry's win. They are very welcome.

Joanne Collins (Sinn Fein)
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I welcome the Minister of State and thank him for being here today. I want to discuss school transport, in particular rural schools more than city schools, and the different reasons certain children would go to different schools and not to the one that is geographically closest to them. There is a school in County Limerick called St. James’ National School, Cappagh. Its closest secondary school is Coláiste na Trócaire, Rathkeale and St. James' National School is the main feeder school. A lot of children who go to this school are not necessarily from Cappagh. Their closest secondary school would be in Askeaton town, which would be their address. Cappagh is also in Askeaton but Cappagh school for one reason or another is the primary school that all these children would have gone to. When you go to the school in Cappagh, you end up getting involved in sports clubs and community games, which is Cappagh and Rathkeale together, as in the face of reduced numbers, they link up everything. Living rurally a lot of the teams will link up across the area. Even though their closest secondary school is the secondary school in Askeaton, the only link they have to it is the geographical reason to go there. Every other link falls to Rathkeale. Their friend groups, their social groups and their sporting activities are all linked into Rathkeale. I have 19 children looking to see if there is a possibility of a school bus. When we look at the criteria they do not meet them all and it comes down to that one geographical limit. I feel sometimes the criteria are very black and white and it do not really take into account the realistic living conditions within rural Ireland and why children would go to different secondary schools. I am also conscious, with costs of petrol and diesel, that these parents are hoping their children could use a school bus rather than having - it would not be 19 families because there are one or two in some of the houses - potentially 15 more cars on the road dropping to and from school. I have spoken to the families and told them that geographically they may not be eligible because of the secondary school not being as close as the one down the road. They have said their children will be going to the Rathkeale secondary school regardless, because it is where all their friends are going.The primary school is the feeder school and it is a natural progression from their primary education into secondary education. Could the Minister of State make a statement on it? I have been on to his office back and forth over the past couple of months but I am very conscious that this is our last week here in the Dáil and the Seanad. By the time we are all back from recess, the school term will have started. I am conscious that these parents are very eager to find out if there is a possibility of a school bus.

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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I might address the issue, which was in relation to the increased capacity, specifically for County Limerick. Unfortunately, the Senator did not give me the exact details in relation to Cappagh or Rathkeale so I do not have the specific details to hand.

The school transport system is a huge operation that is managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education and Youth. The scheme has expanded significantly over the past six years. It is recognised that the school transport system is a vital support for families and its benefits extend to supporting parents and guardians who are accessing employment. It continues to support pupils living in rural and remote areas and children and young people with additional needs, as well as national sustainability and climate goals.

The scheme is demand-led and on the number of eligible children who apply and pay on time. Families are required to register their details on the Bus Éireann portal to have their eligibility for school transport assessed to make applications under the scheme. The portal for the 2026-27 school year closed on 8 May to allow Bus Éireann to plan and assign routes for the upcoming school year. The portal reopened on 3 July but any applications and payments made after this date will deemed late and will not be assessed until all on-time applications have been processed.

Since the portal closed, Bus Éireann has been assessing all the applications and planning routes and services for the 2026-27 school year. Routes may alter or extend depending on the number and location of children who will be availing of school transport for the year. The tickets have now begun to issue to families and will continue to issue throughout the summer. Where pupils are unsuccessful in receiving tickets, they will be notified as early as possible and a refund will issue from Bus Éireann. Under the terms of the Department's school transport scheme for children with special educational needs, children are eligible for transport where they are attending their nearest recognised school that is or can be resourced to meet the child's needs.

On the overall scheme, school transport, as the Senator rightly pointed out in her opening remarks, is a hugely valued support for families. The availability of the school ticket or bus seat is hugely important and I know from many years as a public representative the importance of this issue. I also know, since taking up this role, the importance that schools, school communities and families place on the expanding school system.

We have been expanding it over recent years. In County Limerick alone, it has expanded from 6,200 in 2023 to 7,500 who were issued tickets last year. It has continued to expand. There are various rules and regulations governing it. We are trying to ensure we are providing transport at primary and post-primary levels, in the first instance, that is near schools. I do take the point around communities, depending on where they are at. It is always a crunch point when communities see the school that might not be the nearest as their natural hinterland or school. There is some recognition of that but, under the terms and conditions, the scheme is very clear in regard to how we are trying to ensure that we have transport across the country.

The Senator raised the issue and I will gladly take it up to see if we can get clarification for her on it. I might address some of the other points in my closing remarks.

Joanne Collins (Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State. My apologies; I probably should have given the specifics but I have been back and forth to the Minister of State's office a bit on this. My one ask is that he might look at the criterion about the closest school geographically. The closest school for these children is the school they are most connected to, which would be Rathkeale.That is where their sports and social clubs are and where all their friends go. A lot of these children would have been eligible for and would have used transport to primary school. However, because they are going a little further away to secondary school, they seem to be ineligible for transport.

I would appreciate if the Minister of State could indicate whether there is any leeway on the eligibility requirement that pupils attend their closest school. Could that be amended such that the closest school may be defined as the school to which they feel closest or are most linked to, rather than just the closest school geographically?

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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By way of clarification, the State is subsidising the school transport scheme to the tune of €650 million, which is a rise of just over €200 million from only a few years ago. We have expanded the numbers using the service over the past four or five years from 120,000 to the 181,000 pupils that were carried last year. More than 11,000 routes are covered at both primary and secondary level. That gives a sense of the scale of the operation that is the school transport system right across the country.

The terms and conditions of the scheme go back quite some time. We undertake continuous reviews to try to capture more students who have not been deemed eligible for various reasons. For September 2026, the terms and conditions are as outlined in the Department's notices and on its website. In some instances, recognition is taken of where there is capacity and availability on routes. I do not have the specifics in front of me but I certainly will liaise with the Senator to see what we can do on the issue she raised.

Within the budget we have for this year, there is an ever-expanding demand on the system, with a huge number of people looking for increased services. We ran a number of pilot schemes over the past two or three years and we are evaluating whether they were successful. We must be very mindful of the amount of money we are spending on school transport. That amount continues to grow year on year. We are very committed to the school transport system and a lot of work is going into reviewing the terms and conditions into the future.

Joanne Collins (Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State.