Vol. 572 No. 3
290 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Education and Science, further to Parliamentary Question No. 590 of 30 September 2003, if Bus Éireann will re-route the school bus to accommodate persons (details supplied) who are attending a school in County Sligo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23026/03]
The family to which the Deputy refers lives 1.3 miles from the route of service to the school in question. As a rule, post-primary school transport routes are planned so that, as far as possible, no eligible child will have more than two miles to travel to a pick-up point. Pupils living off the main route of a service are generally expected to make their own way, or be brought to convenient pick-up points along the main route. Home pick-ups were never envisaged as being part of the school transport scheme. As the family's level of service is within guidelines, it is not open to my Department to sanction a re-routing of service at additional cost.
Question No. 291 answered with Question No. 274.
