Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 July 2012
171 Deputy John Perry asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the difficulties a person (details supplied) in County Sligo will encounter with school transport; if he will intervene with Bus Éireann on their behalf; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33414/12]
View answerChanges to the Primary School Transport Scheme were announced in Budget 2011 and derived from recommendations in the Value for Money Review of the Scheme. One of the changes announced means that from the beginning of the 2012/13 school year children will be eligible for school transport where they reside not less than 3.2 kilometres from and are attending their nearest national school, having regard to ethos and language.
Existing eligible children, who are not attending their nearest school, will retain their school transport eligibility for the duration of their primary education cycle provided there are no changes to their current circumstances. Siblings of these children, who wish to attend the same school, may apply for transport on a concessionary basis only, subject to a number of conditions which are detailed in the scheme. In this regard, it is worth noting that the annual charge for concessionary tickets will be reduced to €100 for the 2012/13 school year which is the same charge that applies for eligible tickets.
