School Transport
Seanad Éireann — 2026-07-14
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Joanne Collins (SF), Agricultural Panel

I welcome the Minister of State and thank him for being here today. I want to discuss school transport, in particular rural schools more than city schools, and the different reasons certain children would go to different schools and not to the one that is geographically closest to them. There is a school in County Limerick called St. James’ National School, Cappagh. Its closest secondary school is Coláiste na Trócaire, Rathkeale and St. James' National School is the main feeder school. A lot of children who go to this school are not necessarily from Cappagh. Their closest secondary school would be in Askeaton town, which would be their address. Cappagh is also in Askeaton but Cappagh school for one reason or another is the primary school that all these children would have gone to. When you go to the school in Cappagh, you end up getting involved in sports clubs and community games, which is Cappagh and Rathkeale together, as in the face of reduced numbers, they link up everything. Living rurally a lot of the teams will link up across the area. Even though their closest secondary school is the secondary school in Askeaton, the only link they have to it is the geographical reason to go there. Every other link falls to Rathkeale. Their friend groups, their social groups and their sporting activities are all linked into Rathkeale. I have 19 children looking to see if there is a possibility of a school bus. When we look at the criteria they do not meet them all and it comes down to that one geographical limit. I feel sometimes the criteria are very black and white and it do not really take into account the realistic living conditions within rural Ireland and why children would go to different secondary schools. I am also conscious, with costs of petrol and diesel, that these parents are hoping their children could use a school bus rather than having - it would not be 19 families because there are one or two in some of the houses - potentially 15 more cars on the road dropping to and from school. I have spoken to the families and told them that geographically they may not be eligible because of the secondary school not being as close as the one down the road. They have said their children will be going to the Rathkeale secondary school regardless, because it is where all their friends are going.
The primary school is the feeder school and it is a natural progression from their primary education into secondary education. Could the Minister of State make a statement on it? I have been on to his office back and forth over the past couple of months but I am very conscious that this is our last week here in the Dáil and the Seanad. By the time we are all back from recess, the school term will have started. I am conscious that these parents are very eager to find out if there is a possibility of a school bus.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-07-14/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:52:15+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-07-14