Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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I thought I might have 55 minutes.

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy has latitude.

Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I thank the Minister for taking the time to come into the House for this Topical Issue. I am sure many Deputies, Senators and councillors throughout the country will agree with me when I say representations about school transport are consistently among the most difficult issues that come before our constituency offices.

The issues centre around pick-up points, spaces, eligibility, concessionary tickets, designated closest schools and roads that are not on the bus routes. According to regulations the school transport scheme provides transport for children who live 3.2 km or more from their local primary school. To qualify for school transport a child much be aged between four and 12 years and living 3.2 km or more from the nearest suitable national school. The Department of Education decides as to the nearest suitable school. If a child is attending a school that has more than one teacher and if there is a one-teacher school nearer to home that fact will not usually disqualify the child from using the school transport scheme. The scheme is not a door-to-door service. Parents and guardians are responsible for bringing the children to the nearest pick-up point to avail of the service. As I understand it, generally routes are planned so that pupils do not have to travel more than 2.4 km to the nearest pick-up point.

These are the general rules as applied even when a situation is presented, for example, a request to change the pick-up point that would save eight children and four families from getting in the car to drive 1.7 km to a shop or pub location on the main road. I know of a woman in County Leitrim with twin babies who every morning must put her twins into the car to drive her five-year-old the 1.7 km. She obviously cannot leave the babies on their own, as her husband has already gone to work. The mother came to me, having being told by the Bus Éireann official that she needs to contact her local representative. When contacted, the bus inspector told me the rules are the rules, he cannot make an exception. It is very frustrating.

A review of the school transport scheme has recommended changes to how the scheme works so that more students can use buses by 2030. It recommends removing the nearest school requirement if there are existing school routes or if there is enough demand for a new route, by at least ten pupils, and reducing the distance required for pupils to qualify for the school transport scheme. This is a welcome development but much more needs to be done and it needs to happen much more quickly. In recent times, the Government has poured money into providing free school books and hot meals in some schools, all of which are very welcome initiatives. However, what I am listening to on the doorsteps over the past number of weeks during the local and European elections, is that the Government must fix the school transport system, and fund it, before we embark on any further spending ideas and programmes.

We need more workers in our economy. This is an opportunity to allow working parents to leave for work, comfortable in the knowledge that their children have a flexible school transfer system that picks them up at a reasonable distance from the home, to the school that is conveniently located. Working parents are prepared to pay for such a service. It needs to be flexible. There needs to be a bus inspector who can work outside draconian rules and regulations and allow common sense to prevail. We also need new bus drivers and buses. That possibly can be achieved by allowing people over 70 to drive the bus, once they pass a yearly medical. A proper school bus system in urban Ireland will reduce car journeys, free up our streets from choking morning traffic and reduce our carbon footprint. If the Minister of State is in a position to have the extra funding available, I appeal to him to prioritise the school transport system. Working parents need it, children need it and the environment needs it.

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Feighan for raising this matter today. I am taking this Topical Issues debate on behalf of the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley. I can see the passion Deputy Feighan shows in this area. It is an area that comes up on the ground for all of us, including my good self. I know how important education is for parents.

Before I address the specific issue raised, I would like to provide an outline of the extent of the school transport scheme. The school transport scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year more than 161,600 children are being transported on a daily basis to schools throughout the country. This figure comprises more than 135,000 pupils travelling on mainstream services, 19,800 pupils with special educational needs, and 6,800 pupils who have arrived in Ireland from Ukraine. The total cost of the scheme in 2023 was €382.02 million.

Under the current terms of the school transport schemes, children are eligible for transport at primary level where they reside not less than 3.2 km from and are attending their nearest national school, to which Deputy Feighan already made reference. At post primary level they are eligible where they reside not less than 4.8 km from and are attending their nearest post-primary school or education centre as determined by the Department or Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language. Children who are eligible for school transport and who complete the application process on time, that is apply on time and pay on time, are accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation. Children who are eligible for school transport but for

whom no service is available may be offered the remote area grant towards the cost of making private transport arrangements. The remote area grant is also payable for eligible children who may have to travel 3.2 km or more to or from a designated pick-up and set-down point.

At post-primary level, temporary alleviation measures have been in place since 2019 and are being continued for the 2024-25 school year. Under these measures, transport is provided where a route is in operation and where capacity exists for concessionary post-primary pupils who are eligible for transport to their nearest school, are attending their second-nearest school and who applied and paid on time. Children who are not eligible for school transport may apply for transport on a concessionary basis only and will be facilitated where spare seats are available after eligible children have been accommodated. Where the number of ineligible children exceeds the number of spare seats available, Bus Éireann will allocate tickets for the spare seats under an agreed selection process.

It should be noted that planning for school transport services in any given year will commence in the December and January preceding the start of that school year. A review of the school transport scheme has been completed and the resulting School Transport 2030 report has been published. This review, which the Deputy has already made reference to, was conducted with a view to examining the current scheme, its broader effectiveness and sustainability and to ensure it services students and families adequately. It marks the largest review of the school transport scheme since it was established in 1967. The Government is committed to working to achieve the report's recommendations of expanding access to the scheme in order that an additional 100,000 pupils can be carried by 2030.

Overall, the recommended changes to the future operation of the scheme involve: expansion of the current eligibility criteria; addressing existing operational challenges, charges and grants; and, over time, moving towards better integration with public transport to ensure better value for money for the Exchequer. As indicated at the time of the launch of the review, these changes will include a shared effort between the Departments of Education and Transport, supported by the National Transport Authority and Bus Éireann, to pilot and introduce greater integration of existing public transport networks with post-primary school transport routes.

The review does not deal specifically with the primary routes to which the Deputy referred. Two pilot routes have been identified, namely those relating to the Limerick-Shannon and Roscommon-Athlone areas. It is intended, subject to resources, to commence implementing the revised eligibility criteria in the 2025-26 school year. I will bring the specific points the Deputy raised back to the Minister, Deputy Foley. Perhaps the Minister can take the matter up on behalf of the Deputy, focusing on the specific case. As he stated, a review is being carried out. It will be on a pilot basis for the Limerick-Shannon and the Roscommon-Athlone routes. It is intended, subject to resources, to commence the implementation of the full revised eligibility criteria, not in the coming year but in the 2025-26 school year.

Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State. Over the years, school transport has been a very complicated issue. The Government and its Ministers have much to be doing. Sometimes people may say that an issue falls outside their remit and is the responsibility of Bus Éireann or someone other entity. We need leadership on this issue in order to address the situation. Ireland has changed a great deal. Many people have cars, but if we want parents of young children to continue to work in this robust economy, everything must be done to help. We talk about childcare and taxes, but school transport for children is an issue that needs to be fixed. The system needs to be flexible. We need to get round these draconian rules and regulations. Common sense must prevail. We need more bus drivers. It is difficult to get people into all the service industries, but more bus drivers and buses are needed. This could possibly be achieved, as I said, by allowing people over 70 years of age to drive buses once they pass a yearly medical.

We need a proper school bus system. Much has been done with the rural transport scheme and many routes between rural areas and towns and villages have been provided. There has been significant take-up, which is very welcome. However, we need to do an awful lot more in respect of school transport. If action is taken, streets will no longer be choked with morning traffic and the overall carbon footprint will be reduced. More importantly, working parents will be able to get out to work knowing that the their children can get to school safely by bus. I look forward to the pilot scheme. It is a step forward, but we need to do a great deal more.

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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The Department and the Minister will learn a lot from the two pilot schemes. To provide a final context, the most significant change to the current eligibility criteria for the mainstream that will come in 2024-25 will be to reduce the current distance criteria and remove the nearest-school criterion. The proposal over time is to reduce the distance criteria to 1 km from 3.2 km for primary schools and to 2 km from 4.8 km for post-primary schools. All children who meet these criteria will be accommodated on transport where an existing route is in place. Where there is a demand or requirement for a new route to be established, this will be done in consultation with the Department's planning and building unit to determine the area to be served by any such new route. The distance criteria will not apply in towns and cities that are served by public transport because in these cases children will be encouraged to use the public transport that is available. This will also ensure optimum use of vehicles, drivers and Exchequer money.

More critically, the review does not recommend any change to the current eligibility criteria for the school transport scheme for children with special educational needs. The scheme will continue to provide transport for eligible children to the nearest school that is or that can be resourced to meet their special educational needs. This will continue to be determined in consultation with the National Council for Special Education. However, a working group will be established to enable ongoing improvements to be made to the scheme. In the interests of promoting inclusivity, steps will be taken to support children with special educational needs whose parents wish for them to travel on any available mainstream services.

The particular case raised by the Deputy could perhaps be taken up by the Minister to see if something might be done on a practical level to meet the requirements of those involved.