Since this is the first opportunity to do so on the record of the House, I express my sorrow at your forthcoming retirement, a Cheann Comhairle, and thank you for the courtesy you have always shown me and the assistance you have given me. I wish you well in your retirement. As you come from a neighbouring constituency, I hope our paths will cross from time to time in the south-east.
Thank you also for giving me the opportunity to raise this matter on the Adjournment. I hope I can convince the Minister for Education and the Minister of State to use common sense to resolve the problem of school transport to Ballyduff Upper national school in west Waterford. In many areas rules and regulations are introduced with no provision for flexibility. That often leads to a regime which no sane person would countenance if charged with the responsibility of finding a workable solution to a problem, and such is the case here.
For the past 29 years, since Shean and Glencairn schools closed, the children of those areas have been provided with a school bus service to Tallow national school. At the time this was deemed correct by the authorities on the grounds that both schools were in the Tallow parish, but the parish of Tallow runs to within a quarter of a mile of the village of Ballyduff. Even Ballyduff national school lies within the Tallow parish. In recent years the children in the Shean and Glencairn areas have gradually transferred to the school in their own community, Ballyduff. This has happened to such an extent that there are now 22 children from these areas attending Ballyduff and not attending Tallow. They are all taken to school, usually at great inconvenience, by private car. The parents demand that the Department of Education provides a school transport service to Ballyduff national school from this area for the following reasons. The people of this area recognise themselves as being part of Ballyduff community. All parts of the area are closer to Ballyduff national school than to Tallow national school and representatives of the area are elected to the Ballyduff community council with no similar representation in any Tallow based body. The historical parochial reason no longer has any validity.Tallow parish runs to within a quarter of a mile of Ballyduff village. If the Department is in a quandry, it could solve it in that the school is within the parish of Ballyduff and the children will not be moved out of the parish.
Simple economics dictate that to provide a service to a more distant location than a nearer alternative is lunacy. The parents will not be fobbed off by the Department's excuse that a transport service is being provided. It is being provided but to a school outside the community, where no such need exists. The provision of such a service has a tendency to confuse people's sense of identity, loyalty and belonging to their community.
In the past neighbouring children regularly ended up going to different schools, breaking friendships and after national school finding it difficult to reintegrate in their community. Socially and morally this is unacceptable. Many of the parents demanding this alternative service were children at the time of the closure of Shean and Glencairn schools and are aware of the social problems involved. The region is an area of growing population which will ensure the long-term viability of the service. Some 22 children attend the school: in the ten to 12 age group there are nine, in the five to nine age group there are 13 pupils and in the zero to four age group there are 11. Therefore, the number of children in the area is increasing and, given the number of young families moving in, the population will continue to increase.
All the parents involved live approximately two to three miles from Ballyduff and four to five miles from Tallow. How anybody can say this is a sensible arrangement is beyond me. I call on the Minister to use flexibility and common sense to provide school transport for Ballyduff and allow the children to attend school in their own community.
