112. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Education the number of pilot schemes run under the revised school transport scheme for 2025-26; the current stage of each pilot run under the revised scheme; when the revised school transport scheme for 2025-26 will be ready; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17170/25]

Sentiment score: 0.15

Every day, under the school transport scheme, thousands of students are taken to and from school. It is an invaluable service for many thousands of families. The service relies on rigid rules that, unfortunately, do not recognise, for example, that students may not be attending the immediately adjacent school or are perhaps going to schools their families had associations with over many years. Regarding the pilot review, will the Minister give an overview of where those pilots are now? Is the Minister ready to advance a new scheme?

Sentiment score: -0.02

I thank the Minister. Will she outline if all the planned pilot schemes got under way? I understand there are 14 of them, but did all the pilot schemes that were planned get under way? The transport scheme is currently open for applications and parents will be making applications for students in the weeks to come. Often, families are waiting right up to the last minute in September to find out if they will have a service. Time is getting very tight now. Will there be enough time over the summer to have an extensive scheme introduced for September or will there be a need to prioritise certain aspects? If there is going to be prioritisation, what changes is the Minister aiming to prioritise for next September and September of the following year? Will she give an overview in this regard, please?

Sentiment score: 0.11

Focusing on the specific point again, what kinds of changes are being prioritised for each year? It is reasonable that not everything would be done in one go and the process would be phased in. What kind of changes are being proposed for phase 1 and each of the subsequent phases? Will the Minister give an outline in this regard? In communities where people are making applications now, in fast-growing communities such as in Cloughduv, for example, a large number of applicants will want to go to secondary school in Ballincollig and not necessarily to Coachford, where Bus Éireann's current scheme would be sending them, or perhaps to Bandon. Can those communities reasonably expect a new scheme to be in place for their students in September? The time is very tight. Will the Minister set out a list of the priorities to be able to do that? I refer to trying to get an understanding of what those priorities are.

Sentiment score: 0.02