An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-20
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Cathal Byrne (FG), Cultural and Educational Panel

There was a bit of confusion, but there is no need to worry. I raise an important point for this time of year, which is the issue of school transport and bus passes. Last year, I raised what I felt was a very unfair situation for students who live in Wexford town but are unsuccessful in securing a secondary school place in the town because of capacity issues. They were forced to apply outside the town and ended up attending Good Counsel College in New Ross, which is in a different part of County Wexford. As those students were not attending their local secondary school, they were refused access to a bus pass. I felt that was very unfair. Last year, we had engagement with the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Moynihan, but, unfortunately, we were not able to resolve the problem. I am back here again to raise the issue with a view to it being addressed and solved for students who are starting out again in September.
We must reflect on this for a moment. These students wanted to attend secondary school in Wexford town. They did not have any choice but to go outside the town. While they are attending Good Counsel College in New Ross, the reality for them and their families is that there is no bus that can get them there. This issue must be ironed out. It is a wrinkle that exists under the current rules and it needs to be resolved. Unfortunately, many of those students did not receive a concessionary pass and, therefore, were not able to get any sort of school bus transport.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-05-20/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:58+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-20