asked the Minister for Education the economies she intends to introduce in order to save £6.5 million on school transport in 1988; when these changes will be introduced; and if she will make a statement in this regard in order that parents may prepare for the additional costs and/or changes in eligibility conditions for their children's school transport.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - School Transport.
64.
Details of the measures to be introduced to effect the savings provided for in the 1988 school transport budget are being finalised at present. These will be circulated to the relevant parties as soon as possible.
That is an extraordinarily insufficient reply. The Minister announced in this House on 22 October that she intended to bring in a range of economies to save £6.5 million. Bearing in mind that there are 156,000 eligible students using school transport, she has now placed their parents under threat that they may not have a bus, that the fares may be doubled or that they may have to walk more miles. Does the Minister not understand the anxiety caused to parents in rural Ireland as a result of her statement in the Dáil on 22 October?
Deputy Hussey asked in her question if I would make a statement in order that parents could prepare for the additional costs and/or changes. I do not like doing this but I must bring Deputy Hussey's mind back to 23 December 1982 when she announced to the world at large that there would be an introduction of school transport charges.
Since the Minister has introduced an unfortunately contentious note, that announcement was made two days before Christmas in order to keep faith with parents and make sure that they would not go through Christmas unaware of the fact that they would have to pay charges. This Minister announced that there would be pilot schemes but she did not specify where these pilot schemes would be. Parents need to know if their area is to be the subject of a pilot scheme and what the effect of such a scheme would be on their children. What does the Minister mean by the term "pilot scheme"? On what exact date will the Minister tell the parents what they are facing in terms of school transport in January?
I will tell them before 23 December. Regarding the question on the nature of the pilot schemes, "pilot" means once off. I announced very clearly in my Estimates speech that they will be in operation in the month of September, so there will be nine months notice to the areas involved. On 1 September next year or on whatever dates the schools reopen I intend to initiate a pilot scheme in four areas. The content and scope of the pilot scheme and the involvement of various local interests — management boards, parents, teachers and so on — has yet to be worked out. The changes in charges for school transport will be announced shortly to the interested parties, certainly long before Christmas Eve. The pilot schemes will come into operation in September 1988. An indepth independent report was commissioned in September involving an outside agency and my own Department. A very interesting report emerged which envisaged the pilot schemes among its findings. Successive Governments since 1979 have been toying with the idea of doing something about school transport. I intend to do something quite radical about it by establishing the four pilot schemes and then evaluating them. We will build on that experience in the following year. We are all aware that the huge bureaucratic cost of the school transport system is climbing at a frightening rate. It is simply not enough to keep on charging as we all have been doing and must continue to do until we have in place a worthwhile countrywide alternative system. I am very much aware that parents will want to know what is envisaged so that they will be planning and saving and moving towards whatever new charges will be introduced. Very soon the interested parties will know. The four pilot projects will operate as and from the beginning of the academic year, September 1988.
May I ask a final supplementary?
I want to try to dispose of the four remaining questions within the prescribed time.
The Minister mentioned increased charges, so obviously the parents can expect to have to pay considerably more. She also mentioned pilot schemes and I applaud her resolution to reform and change the school bus transport system. I wish her luck with this difficult area. Does the Minister envisage changes in the eligibility criteria as well as increased charges?
I am not yet in a position to answer that fully. The Deputy will recognise that. My full statement on the matter will issue quite shortly — within a matter of two weeks, I would say — and any changes in eligibility or charges will be clearly enunciated. I thank the Deputy for her good wishes.