Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 June 2014
211. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the post office in Drogheda, County Louth, is being used as a general reference point for all schools in the town when, under the school transport scheme, Bus Éireann measures the distance persons in the Drogheda and east Meath area live from their local schools; if so, the reasoning behind this decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25628/14]
View answerUnder the terms of my Department's Post Primary School Transport Scheme children are eligible for transport where they reside not less than 4.8 kms from and are attending their nearest education centre as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language. Where there is more than one school in a Post Primary Education Centre, eligibility is determined by measuring the distance from a child's home address to a central measuring point (CMP). Bus Éireann has confirmed that the Post Office in Drogheda is a designated CMP. CMPs are a feature of the school transport scheme and have assisted in the smooth operation of services for many years. The use of CMPs benefits families by ensuring that children of the same family, who are attending different schools in the same education centre, are eligible for school transport provided they satisfy the distance criterion to the CMP rather than the individual school. In general, where queries arise regarding distance, recourse is had to the fundamental principle of the scheme – eligibility for school transport is determined by the distance children reside from their nearest school as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann.
