asked the Minister for Education if he will provide school transport for second-level students from Dromohair, County Leitrim, to Ballisodare post-primary school.
Written Answers. - School Transport Service.
563.
Dromahair is in the Coola vocational school catchment area for post-primary transport purposes for junior cycle pupils. Senior cycle pupils from Dromahair are eligible for free transport out of the Coola catchment area. Junior cycle pupils from Dromahair are eligible for free transport to another centre only in accordance with the ordinary rules of school transport which stipulate, inter alia, that they may have free transport only from the nearest pick-up point within the catchment area of the centre attended.
The children in the Dromahair area who attend Ballisodare post-primary centre together with the pupils in the area who attend Sligo post-primary centre avail of a public scheduled service to Ballisodare via Sligo in the mornings. In the evenings they avail of a scheduled service which operates from Sligo to Dromahair via Ballisodare.
The standard of service, from the point of view of travelling and waiting time for the Dromahair pupils who are eligible for free school transport and who have opted to attend Ballisodare post-primary centre is in accordance with the general standards laid down for the post-primary school transport scheme. The number of senior cycle pupils in the Dromahair area who are attending Ballisodare is not sufficient to warrant the establishment of a special school transport service.