asked the Minister for Education the extent of unused capacity on school buses; and if he has considered advising CIE to use such capacity to carry non-qualified children as fare-paying passengers.
Ceisteann—Questions. Oral Answers. - School Bus Service.
63.
School bus routes and loadings are arranged to make the maximum possible use of the vehicles available. For this reason most buses are loaded to full capacity at the end of each trip.
Where post-primary pupils are ineligible for free transport because they live less than three miles from the nearest school, my Department has authorised CIE to use spare capacity to carry such pupils as fare-paying passengers to that school.
Similarly, national school pupils who do not fulfil the distance qualifications may be given transport as fare-paying passengers to the nearest national school on application being made to my Department by the school manager.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that the usual arrangement is that the children are simply told that, as they have not got a pass, they are not entitled to travel on the bus.
The driver of a school bus cannot carry pupils who have not got tickets, and the tickets are issued by CIE.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary ensure that publicity is given to the fact that, where accommodation is available, they can be taken as fare-paying passengers, because evidently this is not known at the present time?
If publicity is given to the answer I think the position will be generally known.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary consider giving some publicity to whoever has the issuing of passes, because I get frequent inquiries from people who say their children will not be taken on the bus and they do not know where to go to look for a pass.
The information is in the answer, if the Deputy wishes me to read it again.
I know it is in the answer, but I do not know how more publicity could be given to it locally so that they would not be coming to people like me to find out.
Is it not a fact that, under the Road Traffic Act, some of the people driving these buses are not competent to drive a bus with fare-paying passengers. Will the Department of Education change that regulation?
I am not too clear as to what the Deputy has in mind.
The fact that the school bus driver has a limited class licence.
The Department is not responsible for the issue of licences. The Deputy should put down a question to the Minister responsible, the Minister for Local Government.
Can the Parliamentary Secretary not say that the drivers of the school buses are competent drivers, because the suggestion is that they are not competent drivers as they have not got a licence to drive a large public service vehicle? Can the Parliamentary Secretary confirm that all of them are competent drivers for the job they are doing?
I am not disputing the fact that they are competent.
I do not think that is what Deputy Kenneally has in mind.
Is it not true that the Department of Education must be satisfied that they are competent drivers?
Of course, and CIE must also be satisfied.
And the Department as well.
The driver of a school bus has what is termed a limited E class licence, and therefore he is not entitled to take fare-paying passengers in the vehicle.
Is it not true that the limited E class licence entitles a person to drive a school bus with passengers?
This is so.
It does not matter whether they are fare-paying or not. All passengers in a school bus are paid for by somebody.
I wish to make it quite clear that the competency of the driver of the school bus is not in question.
No, it is not in question.
Nobody can question their competency in that regard.
64.
asked the Minister for Education his reason for not giving transport to the children in the Kiltimagh area who are attending Swinford secondary boys school, County Mayo.
The free transport scheme is limited to pupils who reside three miles or more from the nearest school at which free post-primary education is available. There is a vocational school in Kiltimagh which provides an adequate intermediate certificate curriculum in both academic and practical subjects. Boys at this level of education, therefore, are ineligible for transport to Swinford or any other centre.
At leaving certificate level, boys from the Kiltimagh area have, in fact, been given free transport to Swinford.