School buses will be required to have seatbelts fitted under new legislation proposed by the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan tonight.
Mr Brennan said he planned to bring in the law for all new buses within the next few months. The move was announced after opposition politicians claimed it was "ludicrous" to introduce penalty points for the non-wearing of seatbelts in cars while belts were still not fitted in buses.
Mr Brennan said tonight: "There should be seatbelts in school buses and we should get on with this." He said a consultation process had been going on between the Departments of Transport and Education with a view to introducing the legislation.
"I am now going to see - can we get the necessary regulations put together and require them in all new school buses," he told RTE's Five Seven Live.
"I won't put a date on that but hopefully within a few months." Earlier today Labour's education spokesperson Ms Jan O'Sullivan urged the Government to prioritise the matter.
She said: "It is incongruous on the part of the government to demand that all children as passengers in their parents' cars be buckled up for the school run while not awarding the same importance to safety on school buses.
"There have been a number of serious incidents involving children in school buses in recent years and the issue of child safety on school buses deserves as much attention as it does in vehicles driven by parents."
The move comes just a day after Mr Brennan introduced penalty points for drivers caught not wearing seatbelts. Motorists found carrying unrestrained children under the age of 17 now also incur points on their licence.