asked the Minister for Education if he will abolish the three-mile limit laid down for the free transport of schoolchildren and introduce a one-mile limit so as to facilitate children where schools are not available in any area.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Transport of Schoolchildren.
35.
The free transport schemes have been introduced to enable children from remote areas to attend post-primary schools. The distance limit of three miles is not unreasonable and I am not prepared to make any change in it. I might add for the Deputy's information that at present 83,500 children are being provided with free transport to school.
What about the other 20,000 odd who must go two miles to school and who get no help? Does the Minister not think that two miles travel in the early hours of the morning is a fair distance?
As the Deputy will be aware, for quite a number of years there has been free transport for primary schools. The regulation has provided for quite a number of years for free transport for children who live more than two miles from school and who are aged up to ten years; above that, they had to live three miles or more from the school. That has been the practice for a long time and was considered reasonable. This question relates to post-primary pupils. If it was reasonable for children above 10 years of age, attending primary schools, then it should be reasonable for pupils attending post-primary schools.
Is it reasonable to ask a child to walk three miles to school and the same journey home, a journey which would take from threequarters of an hour to an hour each way?
I am sure the Deputy is aware that most of the children in the post-primary schools who are now benefiting from this scheme were, in fact, cycling——
Is it reasonable to ask a young child to walk for nearly an hour, there and back, between his home and the school?
I think that in the circumstances of this country and, in particular, the advances which have been made in the educational field in a very short time, this is very reasonable.
I agree but, in some cases, buses that are not completely full, are passing these children by.
(South Tipperary): Where a bus is not completely full and there are obviously vacant seats, would the Minister consider allowing children living, say, two-and-a-half miles out to travel on the post-primary school bus?
Does the Deputy mean free?
Deputies
Yes.
(South Tipperary): In some cases——
I understand that if they pay the fare they may travel.
The Minister was to give me that information last week. He was not sure then.
I understand it but I have yet to confirm it to the Deputy. I am sure the House will appreciate that, where there are vacant seats, to allow children who do not otherwise qualify would just lead to chaos.
In view of the trend towards free education generally and free travel generally, do these regulations governing the ages of children and the distances they have to travel not need urgent review?
I could not accept that. In present circumstances, I think they are not unreasonable.