I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. More children than ever are accessing the transport scheme, at 173,000. There is a very clear commitment to make sure we expand that further and that as many children as possible can access it. Of course, that means more buses and more drivers. There are clear reasons as to why the 70 year age limit was set, but we have given a clear commitment in the programme for Government to review that to see if any changes can be made, be it in the size of the buses or the number of children. That is happening at the moment, and it is something on which my Department will be working closely with the Department of Transport.

Sentiment score: 0.34

I thank the Deputy for acknowledging the changes being proposed around the permanent posts. The reason I am proposing that is to make sure our young teachers have that permanent position so that they can access mortgages more quickly and that it gives them that sense of belonging within their schools. It is very much a decision for the individual schools as to whether they allow career breaks. We have said very clearly, and the Department has set out clear rules, that if schools cannot fill the position, they should not be allowing teachers to take career breaks. I know that is not always the case. We do have positions that are not filled, in particular in some of our larger cities, but overall, we need to make sure we do everything possible to allow more teachers to come through the system and ensure that we keep those who are here and encourage more back. That is something I am working on at the moment, and I hope to bring forward further proposals in the weeks and months ahead.

Sentiment score: 0.42