asked the Minister for Education why a number of children in the Windgap, Churchtown, County Waterford area of Carrick-on-Suir are not being provided with transport to Carrick-on-Suir primary school, even though they are over the required qualifying distance from the school.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - School Transport.
26.
On the amalgamation of Windgap national school with the new Crehanagh school a special transport service was set up by my Department to convey the pupils from the school district of Windgap to the new school which is in the same parish. This transport service has accommodation for 45 pupils, but is carrying only about half that number.
I am not, therefore, prepared to sanction a second transport service from the former Windgap school district to the Carrick-on-Suir schools.
27.
(South Tipperary) asked the Minister for Education if he will provide, either by a small diversion of the existing services or otherwise, school transport facilities for the mountainous Slieve na mBan area to Grangemockler national school, County Tipperary.
The question of providing transport for children attending Grangemockler national school is at present being investigated by my Department.
28.
(South Tipperary) asked the Minister for Education if he will consider lowering the limit from three miles to about a quarter of a mile so that national school children in this distance zone might be allowed free transport on routes already serviced and with vacancies on the bus.
In view of the heavy financial burden already placed on the taxpayers by the provision of free school transport under the existing schemes, I feel that any extension of these schemes would not be warranted. Furthermore, I consider that the existing provisions are reasonable. They are of general application and to depart from them in individual cases simply because there happened to be vacant seats in a bus could not be justified.
Would the Minister consider some adjustment of the transport regulations for very small children living within a two mile radius at present who, owing to the fact of the change in our time system, have to walk nearly two miles in the dark? I think there should be a revision in this regard.
This raises a very interesting development. The mood of the House during the debate on the Estimate for the Department of Education, and my view too, was that children should not be going to school in the early hours of the morning. I issued a circular to the effect that the managers were free to allow schools to be opened at a later hour. The extraordinary thing is that by and large—and this is the reaction that came back to the Department—the parents objected to this because it interfered with the home routine and with people going to work at a certain time. In fact, they were in favour of the early hour to enable the children's meals to fit in with their meals. My view and the view of the House was that we could have later opening of the schools.
The Minister is now answering a question further down on the Order Paper. I should like to know how the Minister got this reaction, because I have yet to meet one parent in my constituency who said he would prefer the hours to remain as they are. I have yet to meet anyone who says he would prefer the hours to remain as they are. I am wondering where the Minister got his information.
This has nothing to do with the Question.
It is a very interesting discussion. We took the view here that children should not go to school in the dark. A circular to this effect was sent to the managers. Referenda have been held in various parts of the country.
By whom?
By the local teachers and managers. They found that the parents preferred the hours to remain so that they could synchronise their time table in regard to meals and men going to work.
Surely the Minister knows that cannot be correct in view of the fact that in most country districts the hour for starting work has been changed because they cannot work in the dark. I am sure the Minister has been misinformed. I am not blaming the Minister but there are certain sections who have a vested interest and who are able to get an ear of the Minister and present a case which is not correct.
I can assure the Deputy that apart from the Department in my own constituency in the West of Ireland people have said they do not agree with the later hour of opening for the schools.
I have yet to meet someone who takes that view.
It is a question of little toddlers on the roads in the dark.
It has nothing to do with Question No. 28.
29.
asked the Minister for Education if he will have consultations with the management of CIE with a view to waiving the regulation which precludes private bus owners who entered the business after April 1967, from employment under the school transport scheme.
At the present time there are about 1,515 vehicles engaged in providing school bus services under the free transport scheme. Of these, about 1,050 vehicles or 69 per cent approximately are privately owned and run under contract to CIE. Many of these vehicles are owned by people who entered the transport business after the free transport scheme commenced in April, 1967.
In these circumstances, no question of having consultation with the management of CIE arises.