Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 24 Nov 1998

Vol. 497 No. 2

Written Answers - School Transport.

David Stanton

Question:

379 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Education and Science if he or one of his Ministers of State is in receipt of correspondence from the principals of the three second level schools in Youghal, County Cork, requesting that his Department provide sanction to Bus Éireann to pick up students at Coláiste Eoin and the Christian Brothers secondary school, Youghal, at the end of each school day; if so, his views on this request; the additional cost per annum on his Department; if he will agree to this request; if so, the timescale for this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24440/98]

Minister for Education and Science (Mr. Martin)

I can confirm that my Department has received correspondence on behalf of school principals in Youghal, and has examined the transport service to the post-primary schools.

Central set-down and pick-up points are a feature of the school transport scheme in towns with more than one post-primary school. Only where a school is a considerable distance from the town centre can the question of extending the service to or from the school itself be considered.

The central set-down/pick-up point is located 0.4 miles from each of the schools. In 1995, the morning service was extended in order to eliminate the need for pupils of Coláiste Eoin and Christian Brothers' secondary school to walk up a steep hill to school. The present situation, therefore, is that these pupils are transported directly to their schools each morning, and are required to walk a distance of 0.4 miles downhill in the evenings. This is considered to be quite a reasonable level of service in the context of the school transport scheme. It is estimated that it would cost more than £2,000 per annum to pick up these pupils at their schools in the evenings, and in the circumstances I regret that such an additional cost could not be justified.