For the past two years, parents in Bantry and the surrounding areas have been advocating for a dedicated school bus service to transport over 30 children from Bantry to Schull. Despite numerous representations to the previous Minister for Education, this issue remains unresolved. Today I am appealing to the new Government to address this pressing need. Providing a school bus for these children is a modest request, especially considering the significant expenditure in other areas. These parents and children deserve reliable transport to attend school and we are simply asking for a bus to facilitate this. For two hours a day at the moment, or one hour in the morning and one in the evening, the total emissions would be approximately 480 kg of CO2. After a week this adds up to 3,360 kg, or 336 tonnes, of CO2. Reducing the number of cars on the road or switching to more sustainable transport options can help to lower this carbon footprint significantly. Will the Taoiseach work with the Minister for Education to provide this vital bus service to bring 30 children from Bantry to Schull Community College?

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. I will discuss this with the Minister for Education. As the Deputy knows, the school transport system has its anomalies and complexities. I will see what we can do in respect of that. I fully share his view that public transport can reduce emissions through the replacement of cars, and his commitment to the climate change aspect of this is welcome. More fundamentally, however, I think he wants to get a bus for the kids. I will talk to the Minister. There are issues, as the Deputy knows, around school transport.