I wish to share my time with Deputy Hughes.
Adjournment Debate. - Louisburg (Mayo) School Transport.
Is that agreed? Agreed.
A very serious situation will develop in regard to this issue next week because school children will be going on strike. That is something which nobody wants to see. The problem in the Louisburg area, and particularly in the Killeen area, is that this area has been served by five school busses. An existing operator retired and Bus Éireann amalgamated four of the buses. Some of these children used to be collected at 8.30 a.m. They are now collected at 6.55 a.m. and brought home between 5 p.m. and 5.30 p.m.
I know the people in Dublin do not understand this. This problem will not make national headlines because it is happening in the west. People in Dublin do not care about what is happening in the west. Officials in Ballina in certain cases banged down the telephone on public representatives and on parents. Those officials are paid by the State, they are public servants and should not treat public representatives or members of the general public in that way. I have complained to the Minister of State but he has informed me the matter is outside his brief.
The people in this area are not looking for a new service or for additional money. They want the five buses they had last year and the original bus timetable reinstated. They do not want their children getting up at 7.15 a.m. and carrying their school bags approximately two and a half miles to a bus stop. That is cruelty to children and it should not be tolerated. Many Members of this House speak about the rights of children and I know the Minister of State will say tonight that we only have to provide a reasonable service but the service being provided is not reasonable.
There are a number of inaccuracies in the written reply from the Minister to my question on this matter. It stated that the numbers had decreased but in fact they have increased. It stated that Davitt house was almost half a mile away. That is not correct as the distance is only a quarter of a mile. The reply also states that the school bus service in question has not been removed but has been changed, and that a school bus contractor in the Louisburg area has resigned and has not been replaced.
I hope the Minister of State will have good news for us tonight. All we want is the bus service we had last year. We are not asking for anything new. These children should be allowed go to and from school at a reasonable time. Winter is coming and while Louisburg is beautiful in the summer it is isolated and wild during the winter months. We are merely asking that these children be given an opportunity to be educated.
I fully support my colleague, Deputy Ring. We are seeking restoration of the service we had last year to service the same number of students who currently attend the school. Will the Minister of State indicate in his reply the difference in the position that obtained last year? Five buses were available last year but this year, as a result of changes made and sanctioned by the Department, only four buses are serving the same number of school children. Some of these children are now spending one and three quarter hours longer travelling to and from school. They are spending a greater amount of time away from home than the average number of hours worked by an industrial worker. That is not a satisfactory education system, particularly in this area which faces the Atlantic. These children arrive at the home stop one and three quarter hours later than they did last year and they are then required to walk along barren windswept boreens to get to their homes.
In interpreting the Department regulations as narrowly as possible, the Minister of State seems to be keeping within the letter of the law but not within the spirit of the school transport system as originally set up. Will he examine this particular case and not accept the stance taken by the bus officials in Ballina. A school strike is due to begin next week. I point out to the Minister of State that the chairman of this committee has been successful in leading his community on two previous occasions in campaigns which appeared irreversible. He will win this campaign also even if it means children are kept out of school or whatever other action is deemed necessary. I appeal to the Minister to reverse this decision forthwith.
I thank both Deputies for raising this matter because it gives me an opportunity to outline the position on school transport arrangements to Louisburg Post-Primary Centre in County Mayo.
The position in the case to which the Deputies refer is that the school bus service in question has been changed, not removed. A school transport contractor in the Louisburg area has resigned and, due to a reduction in numbers requiring transport from west of Louisburg, has not been replaced. The remaining four school buses for this area have been reorganised resulting in a larger capacity vehicle being allocated to one of the routes with a change in its operating time.
The pupils in question are picked up at 7.55 a.m. and set down at 4.50 p.m. The bus contractor involved lives in the locality and consequently the pupils are picked up more than a mile nearer to their homes, but at an earlier time, and are set down later than in previous years.
When establishing school transport services, routes are planned to ensure, as far as possible, that travelling and waiting times do not exceed three hours for post-primary pupils. The level of service available to these pupils will continue to be reasonable and adequate in the general context of the school transport scheme.
As far as school transport is concerned, my Department has a responsibility to ensure the safe delivery of approximately 162,000 primary and post-primary pupils to schools throughout the country. We also have responsibility to ensure that the State gets the best possible value for the money expended on the provision of this service. It does not come cheaply; in 1995, the net cost to the State was approximately £37.3 million.
One of the main objects of the school transport scheme is to provide a basic level of service for children who live long distances from school and who might otherwise experience difficulty in attending regularly. For the purposes of the post-primary education scheme, the country has been divided into catchment areas, each of which has its own post-primary centre.
Recognised post-primary pupils who live at least three miles from the post-primary centre of the catchment area in which they reside are eligible for transport under the school transport scheme to that centre. I am satisfied the school transport arrangements currently in operation for Louisburg Post-Primary Centre are operating well within the general context of the school transport scheme. Fully eligible pupils enjoy a reasonable and adequate level of service to this centre. Accordingly, as the level of service is well within the general operation of the school transport scheme, it is not my intention to alter the present arrangements.
In recent years there has been demand for a review of the school transport system, taking into consideration the changes that have occurred in student numbers. That review is currently taking place and should be completed shortly. If Deputy Ring puts in writing the allegations he made tonight about the way public representatives are being treated in the Ballina area, my Department will have them investigated as I take those allegations very seriously. Public representatives should get the responses and the respect they deserve.
The allegations are on the record of the House.