The family referred to in Parliamentary Question No. 247 of May 22 came to County Meath on March 5th this year. There were then two school-going children, one aged eight and one four-and-a-half, in the family but the parents were informed by the authorities at Castle-knock national school that because of overcrowding only one of the children, the older, could be accommodated but that the younger one would be taken in July. The parents were satisfied with this arrangement and the school bus began coming by the house so as to pick up the older child. There were also three other children living on the road who availed of this service but at the end of April the parents were told that it was not possible to continue this arrangement and, consequently, the children would have to make their own way to the main road where they would be collected.
The eight-year-old child must travel three miles to the main road and the road on which he lives is one on which there is a fair amount of traffic. When he reaches the main Dublin-Cavan road he must cross to the other side and continue for another 300 yards to the Fairyhouse junction where he boards the bus. In the evening the bus comes down a little further but still leaves about 2.8 miles for the child to travel home. It is very dangerous for a child of this age to have to travel so far along this busy and twisty road but the situation will be much worse for the four-and-a-half-year-old child. Regarding the other three children on the road the problem is not so great because in their case the distance to the pick-up point is only about a mile and they have been used to making the journey as they are older children. The father of the two children I am referring to is away from home from Monday to Friday. His wife does not drive a car so they have no means of transporting the children to the main road. The child does not cycle but, in any case, it would be dangerous for children so young to cycle along the road concerned and they would have to go about two miles before coming to the houses where the other three children live.
I understand in the case of a Church of Ireland school that the Department sanctioned transport for an area where there are five school-going children. With the younger child I am referring to going to school in July there will be five children from the area attending school. This younger child had been going to school before the family came to Meath so in his case there is a break.
Since special consideration is given to Church of Ireland children I am asking that the same concession be granted to these children. A school transport system was in operation for Church of Ireland children before the implementation of the general scheme but the parents subscribed a certain amount towards it.