asked the Minister for Education if she will consider having the primary school bus which serves the Ballysaggart area extended beyond Veales in order to collect children (details supplied) for transport to Lismore primary school, County Waterford.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - School Transport.
3.
I would refer the Deputy to the reply on 12 May 1982 to a question from Deputy Deasy in this matter. I have nothing to add to the terms of that reply which sets out the circumstances applicable in the case. An extension of the route of the ordinary service operating to Lismore national school was sanctioned to facilitate this family. Their standard of service is comparable to that enjoyed by pupils generally under the school transport arrangements.
4.
asked the Minister for Education if she will consider providing a school transport service for the children who attend Athenry national school from the Boyhill and Rahard areas of Athenry, County Galway.
Under the terms of the school transport scheme a special school transport service may be provided only where there is a certain minimum number of eligible pupils in a distinct locality requiring transport. According to my information there are no eligible pupils in the areas to which the Deputy refers.
Would the Minister of State consider providing transport to the children concerned on a fare paying basis?
You do not establish a transport scheme on the basis of fare paying pupils. You must first of all establish it on the basis of right. If there is accommodation on the bus you could consider fare paying pupils. I am sorry I could not agree to the Deputy's request.
Does the Minister of State consider it appropriate that children should be used in the present context——
The Chair must remind the Deputy that this is confined to one school in County Galway.
I am sure the same thing is happening all over the country.
It is not the same thing.
With regard to children paying for school transport, children are now being used by bus inspectors on the instructions of the Department of Education to ensure payment of fees on buses. Is this correct?
That is a separate question. The question tabled by Deputy Fahey refers to the provision of a transport scheme in a particular area. If the Deputy will put down a question about what he is now referring to I will give him all the information possible, but that is certainly a separate question.
I want to pursue this a little more, if I may.
Will Deputy Andrews bear with the Chair for a second? This is a specific question put down in relation to one specific school. The Minister of State answered the question stating that there were no eligible pupils in the area. Now the Deputy is seeking to raise the whole question of charging for school transport. It is not reasonable. Question No. 5.
Question No. 5 is not my question. There is a mistake on the Order Paper. I have enough to look after in the west of Ireland.
It is down on the Order Paper as Deputy Frank Fahey but I understand it is Deputy Mervyn Taylor's question.
5.
asked the Minister for Education if a free school bus service will be provided by her Department to take children from Newcastle to their school at Rathcoole, County Dublin, having regard to the fact that their journey to this school involves crossing the dangerous Naas dual carriageway.
I presume the Deputy is referring to the community school in Rathcoole in his question. Generally, children from the Newcastle area live within three miles of this school. Accordingly, under the terms of the school transport scheme, it would not be possible to establish a special transport service for them.