I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House tonight to deal with this matter. Clonkeen national school is not destined to be closed or to lose a teacher in the foreseeable future. There are 32 pupils attending this two teacher school. Three children eligible for school transport will attend the school from September next. They could go to school now if the local community wanted to increase the numbers. Apart from them many other children will start school in September.
Three children have been deemed to be ineligible for school transport under very peculiar circumstances. According to CIE one child is .2 miles away from another school. Another child deemed ineligible is from a family from which five children went to Clonkeen national school and were eligible for free transport. Indeed, the child who has now been deemed ineligible by Bus Éireann had free transport on a medical card for a period of four years. Another child who will be ten on 18 June is qualified this term but has not been counted for the future. On the minimum number of seven, Clonkeen national school qualifies for free transport, but it is obvious that under a minimum number of ten the school will not be entitled to free school transport from September. The three new pupils could go to school at the moment if it would mean the restoration of school transport. At the moment ten families are paying £7 per week to a local bus operator to bring the children to school. The N22 national primary road is for three miles on either side of the school considered to be the most dangerous part of the road in County Kerry and the road is to be improved with the aid of EC Structural Funds. Parents are threatening to withdraw the children from school and would have done so except for the advice of elected representatives and Members of this House.
There are pertinent questions to be answered on the withdrawal of school transport. Why has Bus Éireann been measuring and remeasuring distances between houses and the school? Why was it necessary to remeasure the distance between the homes of certain pupils and two schools over a weekend? Why was such a determined effort made to take the school transport service from the children attending Clonkeen national school? Why is transport being taken from pupils whose older brothers and sisters got school transport to Clonkeen and why are they being told that they should attend another national school which is an equal distance away? I hope the Minister will clarify these matters and will as a last resort take the matter up on a personal basis with the Minister.