Vol. 472 No. 1
207 Mr. Nealon asked the Minister for Education if she will sanction the additional funding required to re-route the school bus responsible for taking children from Bearla, Rathmullen, Ballymote, County Sligo, to Culfadda national school to travel along the Bearla road in view of the distance that the children currently have to walk to the nearest pickup point; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22573/96]
School transport is generally organised so as to ensure that no eligible pupil attending a primary school will reside more than 1.5 miles from the route of the service. The children in question live one mile from the existing pick-up point.
This is considered to be a very reasonable level of service in the context of the general operation of the school transport scheme. Accordingly, it is not open to my Department to provide additional funding for an extension to the existing service, as requested.
208 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the unsatisfactory nature of the bus service which Dublin Bus is providing to Scoil Chaitrióna, Mobhi Road, Dublin 9, due to the fact that only one bus serves a very large catchment area, pupils are frequently late arriving for school and the bus service could not start any earlier in view of the fact that it already starts very early; if she will give favourable consideration to providing an additional bus in order that the route can be split in two and thereby facilitate students and the future growth of this school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22584/96]
I am aware of the difficulties referred to by the Deputy regarding school transport to Scoil Chaitríona.
The situation is at present under examination by my Department, in consultation with the school authority and Bus Éireann. The Deputy will be informed of the outcome in due course.
