asked the Minister for Education (a) the number of post-primary pupils availing themselves of free school transport at the following centres on 1 October 1982: Skibbereen, Rosscarbery, Clonakilty and Dunmanway, County Cork; (b) the number of post-primary pupils at the same centres availing themselves of free school transport on 1 March 1983; and (c) the number of school buses available to serve each of these centres.
Written Answers. - School Transport.
841.
(a) On 1 October 1982 the number of post-primary pupils availing of free transport to the centres mentioned by the Deputy were as follows: Skibbereen, 640; Rosscarbery, 149; Clonakilty, 463; Dunmanway, 342.
(b) On 1 March 1983, following the introduction of charges for post-primary transport, the numbers who had applied for and been granted free transport on the basis of their parents' possession of a medical card were: Skibbereen, 114; Rosscarbery, 21; Clonakilty, 83; Dunmanway, 47.
(c) The number of special school buses operating to each of these centres is: Skibbereen, 11; Rosscarbery, 2; Clonakilty, 6; Dunmanway, 4.
842.
asked the Minister for Education if she will confirm the date on which her predecessor authorised the continuation of school transport from the Drummond area to Mountmellick post primary schools; if she will now have that decision implemented; and the reason families who paid for transport have had their money returned.
An instruction dated 14 December 1982 concerning extra transport facilities from Drummond to Mountmellick was received from the Office of the Minister of State for Education in the School Transport Section of the Department of Education on 15 December 1982. The provision of extra transport facilities was not possible at that time. As previously explained to the Deputy, the transport scheme does not permit, nor is there the necessary financial authority for, additional State expenditure on the provision of extra transport in the particular circumstances. In addition, the implications of the provision of extra transport from the Clonaslee area on the future of Clonaslee post-primary centre had to be considered.
My Department have been advised that to date no contributions have been refunded to children in the Drummond area.