Vol. 436 No. 7
252 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Education the reason the application for a school bus pass for a person (details supplied) in County Dublin has been refused since the children are attending the nearest all-Irish school to which they can gain entry; and if she will reconsider the application.
The school transport scheme was basically designed to cater for children in rural areas, who, if living a long distance from school, might have difficulty in attending regularly. In urban areas, the nearest school is rarely more than two miles from a pupil's home, and the provision of transport is not normally necessary.
Children in urban areas, whose parents wish them to attend a school under Protestant management; an all-Irish school or a multi-denominational school may be issued with bus tickets, provided that they otherwise satisfy the conditions of the school transport scheme, on both age and distance grounds. Children between four and ten years must live at least 2 miles from their nearest school, and be attending that school, in order to benefit. Children over ten must live at least three miles away.
The children in question live two miles from their nearest all-Irish school, while the one they are attending is 7.2 miles away. Under the terms of the scheme, they are not eligible for free transport to that school.
