Vol. 568 No. 1
113 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason the common catchment area proposed as a resolution of the school transport problem affecting many of the students attending Schull Community College has not been put in place. [15761/03]
For the purpose of the school transport scheme, the country has been divided into catchment areas, each of which has its own post-primary centre. One of the main objects of the school transport scheme is to provide a basic level of service for children who live long distances from school and who might otherwise experience difficulty in attending regularly. The catchment boundary system is used to determine eligibility for school transport services. Having an open system would be unsustainable in terms of the costs involved and would be difficult to organise. My Department is currently reviewing the question of the re-drawing of the catchment boundaries in the Schull-Bantry area and a decision on this matter will be taken as soon as possible.
