I would like to thank Deputy Spring for his contribution to this debate. At the outset I would like to say that the Department of Education have a responsibility to ensure the safe delivery of approximately 165,000 primary and post-primary pupils to schools throughout the country. They also have the responsibility to ensure that the State gets the best possible value for the money it expends on the provision of this service, approximately £36 million in the current year.
Eligibility for primary school transport is determined by reference to the nearest school. It is not organised on a parish basis. In order to be eligible for free school transport children under ten years of age must live at least two miles from their nearest school while older children must live at least three miles from that school. If the nearest school is a closed school, children living in the closed school area are eligible for free transport to the school of amalgamation.
Bus Éireann, the agent for the Department administer the primary school transport scheme on the ground. That company assess the eligibility of all primary children seeking school transport and determine eligibility and routes in accordance with the terms of the primary school transport scheme.
The school transport scheme was established to provide a basic level of service for children living long distances from their appropriate school. It was never intended that all children would have door to door services as the cost of such a service would add substantially to the current cost of the transport schemes. In the organisation of transport routes by Bus Éireann, some children fortuitously have a home pick-up by virtue of living adjacent to the route of service. This can change from year to year as the routes of service are constantly reviewed by Bus Éireann due to changes in numbers offering for transport, base of the driver-contractor, workload of the vehicle involved and road conditions. Bus Éireann also ensure that vehicles do not encroach into other school areas as to do so could distort enrolments and affect the viability of the appropriate school, or result in the loss of a teacher in that school. In the organisation of services at primary level, Bus Éireann endeavour to ensure, where possible, that no eligible pupil will have more than 1.5 miles to travel to the nearest pick-up point on the service to their appropriate school. It is the responsibility of parents to get their children to the pick-up point on the route of service.
In this particular case the Department have ascertained that there are approximately 13 children from the Sackville area seeking improved transport facilities to Ardfert national school. Ballyrobert Cross is situated in the Ardrahan closed school area and children from that area are eligible for free transport to Killahan, the school of amalgamation. I understand that a service to Killahan national school passes within 0.2 miles of a number of the families who are eligible for free transport to that school. The majority of the remaining children live less than 2 miles from their nearest school, Ardfert, and only qualified for fare-paying facilities to that school. Fare-paying transport is allowed on condition that spare accommodation is available on the service after all fully eligible children have been accommodated and provided that no additional State cost is involved.
The service to Ardfert national school is 0.8 miles maximum from these children. In fact the majority of these children live less than 0.8 miles from the service to Ardfert. This is considered to be an excellent standard of service in the context of the general operation of the primary school transport scheme. The Department do not extend services for eligible children who live similar distances from their appropriate school. To consider making an exception in this case could not be considered in view of the fact that the children currently enjoy an excellent standard of service and children in similar circumstances throughout the country would seek similar improvements. I would also like to add that the Deputy's request involves an encroachment into another school area and this could not be considered as it would be contrary to the terms of the school transport scheme.
In the circumstances the existing arrangement is the most which the Department can offer in this case.
