asked the Minister for Education if he is aware that children in the Balbriggan area of County Dublin are being refused free transport to the secondary school in Skerries traditionally attended by children from this area; and if he will have the necessary free transport provided to enable those children to continue to attend the school in Skerries.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Dublin School Transport.
72.
The purpose of the free transport scheme is to make post-primary education available to children who hitherto were denied it because they lived too far away from the nearest post-primary school. The scheme is, therefore, limited to the transport of children who live three miles or more from the nearest school providing free post-primary education. As such free education is available in the two Balbriggan post-primary schools, no pupil living in the town or within three miles of it is entitled to free transport. There could be no question of departing from this generral principle in any individual case.
Is the Minister aware that we now have a situation in Balbriggan in which one child who had previously been going to the school at Skerries is getting free transport to Skerries and a brother who has come along now and wants to go to Skerries is debarred from doing so because he will not get free transport as he is a new student in Skerries even though traditionally these children would go to Skerries? Is this not compulsory vocational education for families who do not want to pursue a course of vocational education?
No, I think the fact that this discrepancy arises between members of the same family is due to an attempt to assist the children by the Department of Education, because some children had already commenced school at Skerries and so as not to interrupt the continuity of their education and also because at one stage the vocational school in Balbriggan had not got a full intermediate course. For this reason children were allowed to avail of the scheme to go to Skerries but now that a full intermediate course is available those who would be commencing their education cannot expect to be treated on a more favourable basis than any others in other parts of the country under this scheme.
Is the Minister aware that in the case of Balbriggan it is known there are at least 24 pupils who want to go to Skerries and are debarred from doing so because of this limitation of transport?
This may be so but, if it is so, it is due to a misconception on their part as to the value of the education available to them now. This will probably sort itself out in time. To give them what is suggested would be to make a concession for them against other children all over the country.
In the special circumstances of cases like this if the parents are prepared to pay for children on the bus and if there is accommodation on the bus going from Balbriggan to Skerries, would they be allowed to travel?
In such circumstances I think this would be the case but I shall check on that and let the Deputy know.
What would happen in a situation where children were refused admission to a local secondary school and had to go to another school more than three miles distant? Would they be provided with free transport facilities?
If free education is not available to them within three miles of their home for reasons over which they have no control they would be entitled to free transport.
If they can prove that they were refused or denied admission to a local secondary school and must go to one over three miles away this would qualify them for free transport?
Normally this would be so but I cannot give a blanket undertaking on the matter because I can conceive that children might be refused admission for reasons over which they had control but, in the main, where the circumstances are as indicated by the Deputy they would qualify for free transport.