asked the Minister for Education if arrangements will be made that school buses, which will be unused during the summer, will be made available during that period to local parish councils to enable them to provide transport for old people, retarded children and other deserving persons so that they may visit the seaside and other places of interest.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Use of School Buses.
22.
School buses have been purchased out of public funds and in order that the State might get the maximum return for its money it is essential that these buses be used only for the purpose for which they have been purchased. Furthermore, the taxation and licensing arrangements for school buses confine their use to the conveyance of children to and from school.
CIE have assured me that in relation to special transport arrangements they are only too anxious to co-operate with parish councils who wish to organise outings of the nature the Deputy has in mind and that they will quote the lowest possible rates for the use of their ordinary fleet of buses.
Would the Minister agree that to say that in order to get the fullest utilisation—I am trying to remember the exact words—it is necessary to confine them to the use for which they were designed, makes economic nonsense? To get the fullest utilisation of something you must use it for as many things as possible. Would the Minister not agree that it is important that this grossly underutilised capital asset, school buses, as it is necessary to have them there, should be more fully used in any way possible? Would he say if there is anything in the contract with CIE to inhibit their use with the view to protecting CIE from competition from the use of these vehicles? Is that the problem?
I would agree with the Deputy provided other things were equal but I have already pointed out that taxation and licensing arrangements confine the use of school buses to the conveyance of children to and from school. Apart altogether from the wear and tear on buses, there would be considerable extra expense if we were to utilise them in any other way.
Does the Minister not agree that the taxation of buses is a matter for the Government? If the Government want to get better use of its capital assets surely it will not inhibit itself by insisting on taxing them so that they cannot be used? What kind of economic nonsense it that? Would the Minister have a word with the Minister responsible for their taxation and see if he could get rid of that silly bit of red tape?
There are many other aspects. The Deputy does not know what he is talking about.
(Interruptions.)
In the case where a child is attending a special class and using a national school bus which is not going to the special class, will the Minister ensure that transport facilities will be made available to this child?
This would depend on the regulations governing the operation of school buses.
Under the law a child attending a special class is entitled to free transport and in very many cases this free transport is provided on a bus which is not going to the special class. Therefore, when the school to which the bus runs closes down the bus does not travel and the child is then deprived of his legal rights. Would the Minister ensure that these children will be provided with school transport?
I would assume that special classes would close down around the same time as normal school closing.
That may well be but it does not happen all the time.
I am calling Question No. 23.