I welcome the opportunity for the Minister of State to make a statement on the extension of the upper age limit for drivers of small public service vehicles contracted under the school transport scheme. Like so many Members of this House, I welcome the recent decision to extend the upper age limit for certain school transport drivers from 70 to 72 years of age. It is a practical recognition of the valuable contribution made by many experienced and medically fit drivers across the country. At a time when driver shortages have placed enormous pressure on school transport services, particularly in rural Ireland, this move is certainly positive.

While the measure is welcome, it does not reflect the realities of special educational needs school transport. The extension applies only to vehicles under 3,500 kg and up to eight-seaters, which effectively are the people carriers, SUVs and big cars. Crucially, it excludes the 16-seat minibuses operated under the D1 licence category, the very vehicle most commonly used to transport children with additional needs. These minibuses are not a luxury. They are an essential part of the special educational needs transport system. They are specifically used because they allow adequate space between children, many of whom have complex additional needs and in some cases behavioural difficulties, who require a calm, safe and controlled environment.

I was contacted on this by Councillor John Reilly in Louth who currently drives a minibus transporting six autistic children to early intervention classes daily. He has also spoken from personal experience on this as the father of a 26-year-old son with severe autism who has depended on school transport services for many years. Councillor Reilly's testimony highlights the reality faced by families and he understands both sides of this issue as a parent and as a driver. He sees at first hand how vital these services are, how carefully they operate, and how dependent the children are on continuity, routine and familiar drivers.

Yet, under the current rules, an experienced and medically fit driver may continue to transport children in a smaller vehicle but cannot continue to drive the D1 minibus that is essential to SEN transport. This is the problem with this policy. There is already a shortage of school transport drivers, especially part-time drivers. We know that SEN transport demand is increasing year on year at the moment. Excluding D1 licence holders from this extension risks worsening recruitment and retention difficulties and could lead to further disruption for vulnerable children and their families.

For many children with autism or complex needs, consistency matters enormously. A familiar driver, a predictable journey and a calm environment are not minor issues. They are central to the child's well-being and ability to access education. There is a balanced and sensible approach available to us all. The Minister should consider extending the operating to medically fit D1 licenceholders operating school transport minibuses for children with additional needs, subject of course to appropriate safeguarding, medical certification and regular review. This would help to retain experienced drivers, support families and provide much needed stability within the SEN transport system. Crucially, it would recognise the practical realities on the ground rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach.

I ask the Minister to engage urgently with operators, families and representatives in the special education needs sector to examine how this gap can be addressed. Our priority must always be to ensure that children with additional needs can access education safely, reliably and with dignity.

I thank Senator Scahill. I have been asked by the Minister of State with responsibility for school transport, Deputy Michael Moynihan, to take this matter on his behalf this morning. He apologises that he is not available to do so himself. I certainly will relay the conversation back and the discussion that we have on it here this morning and the particular point the Senator is making in relation to those who drive buses for special education students in terms of that particular challenge, which is not included so far. I will relay that back following on from the discussion this morning. Now, I will lay out the position from the Department in terms of the official response here from the Department of Education and Youth, which is responsible for the school transport scheme. It is managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. The scheme is operated using a mix of Bus Éireann-owned vehicles and directly recruited drivers and private contractors that recruit their own drivers to operate the scheme. In the current school year, more than 181,000 children are transported daily to primary, post-primary and special schools throughout the country. Included in this figure are close to 25,000 children travelling on the school transport scheme for children with special educational needs.

The retirement age for school bus drivers has been set by Bus Éireann at 70 years of age, which also applies to all Bus Éireann road passenger services. Under the programme for Government a commitment was made to "Carry out an independent assessment on the feasibility of removing the exclusion of drivers aged over 70 from the School Transport Scheme". The Department of Education and Youth engaged with Bus Éireann and the Department of Transport on this matter. The Road Safety Authority, under the remit of the Department of Transport, committed to reviewing the upper age limit of drivers as it relates to larger vehicles and school buses. This review is now complete. Bus Éireann has no plans to amend the driver age limit for larger vehicles.

To consider fully all vehicles, Bus Éireann secured independent external consultants to undertake an independent analysis of the safety considerations, criteria and feasibility of raising the maximum driving age of drivers of small public service vehicles contracted to deliver school transport services under the school transport scheme. The review of the upper age limit of drivers as it relates to smaller vehicles has now been completed. Following this review, Bus Éireann has advised of an extension to the upper age limit of drivers from the age of 70 to 72, for a trial period. This extension will apply to drivers of small public service vehicles, which have a maximum of eight seats and a driver, who are contracted by Bus Éireann under the school transport scheme. Bus Éireann further advises that this decision follows extensive research, stakeholder engagement and a thorough safety review undertaken by Bus Éireann. The trial period for this extension of the driver age limit is for two years, beginning from the start of the new school year in September 2026 and ending at the conclusion of the 2027-28 school year in June 2028. Under the revised policy, enhanced safety measures will be implemented whereby drivers over 70 years of age are required to undertake an additional six-month medical fitness assessment. Contractor compliance with conditions associated with the change to this policy will be monitored by Bus Éireann for the duration of the trial. Bus Éireann advises that this policy change will remain under continuous review throughout the two-year trial period, with a further evaluation conducted at its conclusion to determine whether the extended age limit should be maintained or discontinued.

I thank the Minister of State. I spoke with the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, last night, who will give me a more direct answer on this matter. I have always found him very approachable on this issue. I am happy to work with him on it. Like myself, the Minister of State is from a rural area. He sees the school transport to and from schools on a daily basis. These eight-seaters will not meet the demand for SEN transport. Capacity for wheelchairs is severely limited in these smaller vehicles. I must commend Councillor John Reilly on coming up with this practical idea from lived experience both as a driver and as a parent using the service. We are talking about 16-seater transit vans, not massive minibuses, but the opportunity and capacity that would open up for SEN students to get to and from schools is something that needs to be addressed. I look forward to working with the Minister of State on that.

I have no doubt but that the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, will be glad to continue to engage on the matter. The Senator has put the argument very constructively here. He has also outlined the specific case of Councillor Reilly, as a bus driver in County Louth. There has been movement here as can be seen, in regard to the smaller public service vehicles. That is a step forward. I have seen this issue raised on a number of occasions. There is significant validity to the safety considerations that have to be paramount in relation to any adjustments to them. We have seen that pilot adjustment from age 70 to 72. That will be closely assessed and monitored. The Senator makes the point that there should be larger eligibility than the current pilot allows. No doubt the Senator and the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, will explore this in more detail. I will certainly relay back the nature of the discussion here today.