John Ellis
Question:299 Mr. Ellis asked the Minister for Education if her Department will grant school transport to a family (details supplied) in County Sligo. [2009/94]
Written Answers. - School Transport.
The children concerned already have free transport on an existing service operating to Ballyweelin-Magharaw national school, coming from the Ballyconnell closed school area.
The family is seeking an extension to this service which, if allowed, would give the children a home pick-up. I am advised that the family in question live 0.9 miles from the current pick-up point. Therefore they are considered to have a reasonable and adequate standard of service in the context of the general operation of the scheme.
One of the main objectives of the primary school transport scheme is to provide a basic level of service for children who live a long distance from school and who might otherwise experience difficulty in attending regularly. Because of the cost, a door-to-door service cannot be a feature of the scheme.