I welcome to the Gallery Sam Burke, a guest of the Leas-Chathaoireach, Senator Maria Byrne, who is here with us today. I thank him for being here. I call Senator Byrne.

Me?

Sorry, yes, Senator Cathal Byrne.

There was a bit of confusion, but there is no need to worry. I raise an important point for this time of year, which is the issue of school transport and bus passes. Last year, I raised what I felt was a very unfair situation for students who live in Wexford town but are unsuccessful in securing a secondary school place in the town because of capacity issues. They were forced to apply outside the town and ended up attending Good Counsel College in New Ross, which is in a different part of County Wexford. As those students were not attending their local secondary school, they were refused access to a bus pass. I felt that was very unfair. Last year, we had engagement with the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Moynihan, but, unfortunately, we were not able to resolve the problem. I am back here again to raise the issue with a view to it being addressed and solved for students who are starting out again in September.

We must reflect on this for a moment. These students wanted to attend secondary school in Wexford town. They did not have any choice but to go outside the town. While they are attending Good Counsel College in New Ross, the reality for them and their families is that there is no bus that can get them there. This issue must be ironed out. It is a wrinkle that exists under the current rules and it needs to be resolved. Unfortunately, many of those students did not receive a concessionary pass and, therefore, were not able to get any sort of school bus transport.

I thank the Cathaoirleach for welcoming my guests from St. Patrick's National School in Greystones. Today, we had a special event. The team from St. Patrick's addressed us in the audiovisual room. Many of my colleagues were there. The team is led by Ms Rachel Harper, whom I have known for many years. She brought some fantastic guests, children from the school, with her. They shared how smartphones impact the younger generation. They shared that in their school, they have all signed up to a code. The code is that they do not receive a smartphone until a certain age.

Each individual then shared about their own lives and what it meant to them. We had Bodie, Jack, Rachel, Jamie and Lori. Bodie shared how he started collecting coins. He has a coin collection that is worth a lot of money. He is certainly one to watch. Lori, who is the quietest but strongest one, is going to play for Ireland. She certainly has prowess when it comes to soccer. Jack shared about his swimming medals and all of that. What it showed was that we have a national school in our midst that is hitting the ball out of the park when it comes to dealing with smartphones and how they impact the younger generation.

I have talked previously in this House about Tiglin and its Greystones Youth Café. It Takes a Village has partnered with the youth café. Now we have the coffee machines and pizza machines, but we also have open mic nights, different craft days and homework clubs for the children. It Takes a Village is something to watch. An Tánaiste has said it is something that can be mirrored and replicated throughout the country. I commend Rachel Harper, Alizia, Alex, Christine and the people who are here today and are championing the project. This House supports them.

I thank the Senator and everyone from Greystones for that great initiative. It could be replicated by many others.