Vol. 435 No. 2
99 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Education if she will ensure that persons (details supplied) from the Lisselton area, attending Post-Primary Schools in Listowel, County Kerry; are allowed a scheduled ticket, that is, term ticket, on the public bus service which runs from Ballybunion to Listowel.
The children from the Lisselton area are eligible for transport to post-primary centres within their respective Catchment Areas. However, some parents chose to send their children to school in Listowel which is not their catchment area. Consequently, the most they can be offered by my Department is concessionary transport from within the catchment boundary of the centre being attended. Catchment boundary transport may be allowed, provided seats are available on an existing service after all eligible pupils have been accommodated. The other proviso is that no extra cost is incurred, either by way of using a larger or extra bus, or by re-routing an existing service. Children from the Lisselton area have been availing of transport under these conditions. However, at the start of the current school-year, it emerged that it would not be possible to accommodate all the applicants for Catchment Boundary tickets as the bus providing the service is operating at full capacity at present. I have been advised by the Transport Liaison Officer that Bus Éireann will carry pupils who present themselves as ordinary fare-paying public passengers on scheduled services.
