Danny Healy-Rae presses minister on school transport review

Thank you very much. To ask you, Minister, the progress made by the steering group in reviewing the school transport scheme and what changes have been made to the scheme to date. Has the group examined the possibility of issuing school bus tickets earlier than present in the month of July, for example, which would allow for concessionary tickets to be processed before the school term resumes in order that parents can make alternative travel arrangements if they have to. Minister, I have to say that it may be construed that I have a conflict of interest because we have operated a bus service, my late father, Jackie Healy-Rae, and I, since 1956, a small school bus transport service, so I have to declare that. Thank you, Deputy, for raising the question. The school transport scheme is a significant operation managed by bus air and on behalf of the Department. In the current school year, over 121,400 children, including over 15,500 children with special education needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over $289 million in 2021. The Department commenced a review of the school transport scheme in February of 2021. This review is being conducted with a view to examining the current scheme, its broader effectiveness and sustainability, and to ensure that it serves students and their families adequately. Following commencement of this review, the steering group presented me with an interim report on eligibility with an examination of issues for mainstream pupils relating to the nearest and next nearest school. Following consideration of this report, I approved the extension of temporary alleviation measures in the current school year for transport for post-primary students who are otherwise eligible for school transport but are attending their second nearest school rather than their nearest school. Wider considerations relating to operation of the scheme are now taking place in the next phase of the review which is currently underway. As part of this phase of the review, the Department is currently conducting an extensive stakeholder engagement process. The Department will be listening to the views specifically of parents and guardians, students, education partners and other relevant stakeholders through the use of surveys, focus groups, meetings as well as inviting written submissions. The Department is inviting stakeholders to share their views and opinions so that they may be considered as part of the assessment and informing policy on the future operations of the scheme. The steering group will continue to report to me on an interim basis as the review progresses. This is an important body of work but it is also important that I would receive those interim reports because it allows me to progress as I did previously for this school year on actions that can be taken. The work continues with the widest possible engagement. Thank you very much, Mr. Minister for the reply. Minister, I suppose there are a number of things that I have to raise with you and in relation to the Medicare card, it only covers pupils and bussed near a school. And if that school is full, they have to pay to go to their next nearest school. The 70-year-old rule that prevents drivers from driving beyond the age of 70, I think many bus operators have asked me to raise this with you as these 70-year-olds go on to drive tour buses, for instance, around the Ringy Kerry, taking full bus loads. And what they are saying is that if boss Aeron was prepared to provide a doctor to check their health early, that would be no problem. And I am asking you to review that rule. The 20-year-old rule for buses, which prevents buses when they reach the 20 years of age. You will get a chance to come back in, Deputy. You will get a chance to come back in your time. Thank you. Thanks very much, Deputy. And thank you for the points that you have raised. In relation to some of those points, for example, the 70 years of age, that is something that is across the public sector. It is not unique to this operation here. In terms of, you know, many of the issues that you raised, that this is a, you know, a wide and all-encompassing review of the system, to ensure that the system is serving the students, is serving their families. This year, we did introduce, as I said, that the eligibility for students who were not necessarily attending their nearest school, but indeed their second nearest school. And we have done that because there is an acknowledgement that there is a difficulty for students for a variety of reasons in terms of accessing their second nearest school. So we provided for that this year. But there is, you know, a broader context here as well, where we are looking at efficiencies in terms of travel, in terms of utilising the transport service and making it as readily available as possible so that it is freeing up families in terms of commitment of taking children to school. Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Minister. Again, I want to ask you to change that 70-year-old rule because boss operators are having severe difficulty in getting drivers, getting qualified drivers. And we are throwing good drivers onto the rubber sheep. The 20-year-old rule for bosses, I mean, if the boss passes the test, the CRBT test, and those tests are rigorous, they should be allowed. Because this is happening in other jurisdictions in the UK and in the north of Ireland. There is also another rule. Years ago when schools were closed, rural schools were closed, there was a promise at that time that children would be brought to the central school then, the central school. But for staffing a new rule, you have to have teen children. Well, you know, people in rural Ireland may not have the opportunity to provide teen children. They have one, two, three, and the neighbour might have two or three. But if they don't have teen children, they can't stop the rule. And that's very unfortunate in light of the promise that was given when the local school was closed that their children would be taken free of charge to the central school. That's not happening in many cases, Minister. Thank you, Deputy. Minister, to respond. Thank you very much, Deputy. And again, to reiterate, and I appreciate the points that you raised, Deputy, because I do appreciate the importance of the school transport system, particularly in rural constituencies, in constituencies like yours and mine. And it is therefore, I was very clear, that there would need to be a review of the system as it currently stands. I have ensured that that review would begin, and it has begun in a timely fashion. I have ensured that there would be in-term recommendations being made to me. I have actioned those recommendations. But it is important, and Deputy, you raise, you know, different points here. It is important, too, that everybody gets the opportunity to flag particular issues. And as those are, like presently, we are engaging with the parents, the students, all stakeholders, anybody that wants to make a submission, they are being evaluated. And all the points that are being raised, so as to ensure that the school transport system, as we know it, meets the needs and demands of students, and indeed of their families. So all issues will be addressed. Can bus operators make submissions, Minister? Yes, everybody, yes. There is an openness for submissions, yes. We are moving on.