Vol. 470 No. 3
115 Mr. Cowen asked the Minister for Education if she will provide free school transport to students in Offaly who are attending a gaelscoil (details supplied) in County Kildare in view of the fact that it is the nearest Irish speaking school available to these students; the current position regarding the provision of free school transport to gaelscoileanna generally; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18926/96]
Applications for transport can be considered only to schools which have been granted recognition by my Department. Since the school to which the Deputy refers does not fall into this category it is not open to me to provide transport as requested.
A school transport service to recognised gaelscoileanna may be established or retained where there is a sufficient number of eligible children, living in a district locality, offering for transport to their nearest such school to ensure that the average daily number of eligible children who would be conveyed each term would not be less than ten.
In order to be eligible for free transport to such a gaelscoil, children between the ages of four and ten must live at least two miles from their nearest gaelscoil, while older children must live at least three miles away.
