Kilkenny TD raises school bus route concerns

Children in Mullinavat who attend Abbey Community College are not being collected by the school transport system, affecting around 40 families, a local TD has said.

John McGuinness TD drew attention to the school bus system issue in Kilkenny at the debate of the Finance (No. 2) Bill 2023 on Thursday, October 24. 

Mr McGuinness brought up the issue regarding the bus route from Mullinavat to Abbey Community School in Waterford during Thursday’s debate and asked for it to be addressed.

The TD said that Bus Eireann had been contacted about the issue but children still were not being collected, affecting around 40 families.

“I am asking the Minister to undertake a root and branch overhaul of the school transport system to ensure that no child is left without transport to school - no child that deserves it. All children should be treated the same,” he said.

“I am asking him to undertake that the school route from Mullinavat to Waterford be approved now, rather than waiting for months and having umpteen different cross words with Ministers and so on in this House.”

The TD also brought up the threat of lack of funding and the impact it would have for the Cois Nore Facility in Kilkenny.

He said that the Health budget needs to be looked at and debated in the Dáil, warning that ‘the first people to suffer, for example, will be cancer patients who rely on voluntary community groups to give them support’. 

“We are told that funding for all of their services, in particular Cois Nore in County Kilkenny, is now under threat. Where is all the money gone? Why is a group, which is literally doing the work of the HSE, not being funded to allow it activate itself to its full potential?”

The Fianna Fáil TD finished by asking that the Minister for Finance ensures that money is allocated to the Carlow - Kilkenny region to deal with all the flood issues in the recent days.