I raise the issue of school transport. Since the Dáil resumed, it has been a bone of contention with many colleagues around the House. I want to raise in particular Tunnyduff National School. I am using it as an example. It is a rural school and there are 42 kids to this day without their school transport. The Tánaiste and I both know that 42 kids in a rural school is a significant proportion to be without their school transport. It is two classrooms. Joe Finnegan has spent the last three weeks highlighting many other schools around the constituency that are in the same position. I am very mindful of kids who have special needs whose school transport is still not in place. Could the Tánaiste, please, put everything behind the Minister, Deputy Foley? She and her staff have done an incredible job to try to resolve these routes. I ask the Tánaiste to make sure she has every resource available to continue that work.

I appreciate the Deputy raising this issue. School transport is a vital public service. In the 2022-2023 school year, for example, 149,000 children, including more than 18,000 children with special educational needs, were transported daily to primary and post-primary schools. I will talk to the Minister for Education in respect of Tunnyduff National School which the Deputy has highlighted. There have been issues on some occasions in sourcing contractors, or when contractors have been sourced they belatedly pull out, which has created difficulty. As of 22 September a number of routes do remain without a service. It is about 1.2% of pupils. I will talk to the Minister in respect of the case the Deputy has raised.