All 3,000 buses in the school transport system have been fitted with seatbelts, the Minister of State at the Department of Education Seán Haughey announced yesterday.
This means that all schoolchildren travelling on buses run by Bus Éireann now have their own seat and seatbelt. The controversial "three for two" rule, whereby three children occupied two adult seats, has also ended because of the extra buses in the system.
Mr Haughey said he was pleased the Government had achieved the safety target it had set itself in the wake of the Navan schoolbus crash two years ago.
Mr Haughey raised concerns about increased vandalism on schoolbuses, with incidents reported in Cork, Galway, Laois and Offaly. Closed-circuit TV had identified some of the culprits, who had been asked to pay for the damage they caused.
"Frankly, I am astonished to think that some young people, who should be well aware of the benefits of wearing seatbelts, would consider putting their own lives and the lives of their fellow passengers in danger by maliciously damaging the seatbelts provided for their safety".
Bus Éireann is evaluating four new types of schoolbus with special safety features to determine which is the most suitable for Irish conditions.
Yesterday's launch was Mr Haughey's first high-profile official engagement since becoming Minister of State at the department.
In this role, Mr Haughey will be responsible for a varied brief which includes school transport, youth services and adult education.
Speaking afterwards, Mr Haughey said he was excited by his new role, which was very much "people-orientated". He said he had spent much of the Christmas period reading the brief.
One of his main challenges, he said, would be to widen access in the area of adult education.
This year, €165 million is being spent on the school transport operation which carries over 135,000 children to and from school every day. The school bus system covers over 74km million (46 million miles) annually.