Cllr O’Donovan told the committee that the Department of Education had “walked away from the problem following their decision to end the Summer Works Scheme as part of the recently announced cutbacks”.

“We have schools all over Limerick that were told last year that their application for funding would not be considered and to reapply next year, and then we learn this year that the scheme was ended. But we still have schools left with hazardous road traffic conditions in front of their gates and a refusal by the department to address the problem,” he said.

“I would have expected the Minister to prioritise the issue of school road safety, particularly in light of the recent court decision surrounding the Meath Bus Crash, which resulted in the tragic loss of young lives. Instead we now have boards of management left in a terrible situation where the local authorities have categorised some roads as dangerous, acknowledging that there is a serious hazard facing parents and children.”

Cllr O’Donovan said that he could “see only one solution, which was that the money would have to be sourced locally for the work” and added that the only source was the Planning and Development Contribution Levies.

He asked his fellow councillors to support a proposal to amend the Development Levy Contribution Scheme to ringfence a fixed percentage of the levies each year for school road safety.

He said the “council has a duty to protect the welfare of the children, entering and exiting the schools of County Limerick," Cllr O’Donovan said.