Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 15 Feb 1994

Vol. 438 No. 7

Written Answers. - School Transport.

Liz McManus

Ceist:

233 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Education if she will ensure that persons (details supplied) in County Wicklow who are being denied access to a school bus to bring them to school are granted a bus pass in view of the hardship it is causing and the fact that they cannot gain access to the schools in their catchment areas and are already in attendance in the County Wicklow Vocational School and had a bus pass until they were allocated a council house in Greystones from Newtownmountkennedy, County Wicklow.

Minister for Education (Ms Bhreathnach)

The two children in question live in the Bray/Greystones catchment area and their eligibility for school transport relates to the schools in that area.

The family resided in the Wicklow catchment area but in December 1992, because of a fire in their home, they were given temporary accommodation in a location in the Bray/Greystones catchment area.

The elder boy was attending school in the Wicklow catchment area. To avoid disrupting his studies in mid-year, and because of the supposed temporary nature of the arrangement, he continued to be deemed eligible for transport to Wicklow until the end of the 1992-93 year.

In September 1993, when the younger brother started his post-primary education, he was enrolled in the vocational school, Wicklow, even though places were available in Bray, until well after term had started.

My Department has been advised that it is not proposed to move the family from their present accommodation.

Therefore, the most that can be offered by my Department is catchment boundary transport to the school they attend, provided they make their own way to the catchment boundary.

Catchment boundary transport is allowed, provided seats are available on an existing service after all eligible pupils have been accommodated. The other proviso is that no exta cost is incurred, either by way of using an extra bus, or by re-routing an existing service.

The question of the eligibility of these two pupils for full transport to Wicklow Post Primary Centre of course will be reassessed if and when they take up permanent residence in that catchment area.