Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 9 Oct 2002

Vol. 554 No. 5

Written Answers. - School Transport.

Jim O'Keeffe

Ceist:

632 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to the discrimination against the 28 children from Dunbeacon Goleen area attending Schull Community College in West Cork, who are denied school transport due to the archaic interpretation of catchment area established before Schull Community College came into existence; and his plans to adopt Deputy O'Keeffe's proposal to establish a common catchment area in order that the children in question can be given their legal and constitutional entitlement to transport to school. [16452/02]

Minister for Education and Science (Mr. N. Dempsey):

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. The catchment boundary system is also used by school transport section to determine eligibility for school transport services and to avoid an open situation, which would be unsustainable in terms of costs and difficult to organise. Recognised pupils who reside over three miles from the post-primary centre of the catchment area in which they live, are eligible for transport under the scheme to that centre.

Alternatively, eligible pupils who wish to attend a post-primary centre other than their appropriate one may be allowed transport from within the catchment boundary of the centre being attended, subject to there being spare accommodation available on the service and provided that no additional State cost is incurred.

The position in this case is that the families concerned reside in the Bantry catchment area, and are eligible for catchment boundary transport only to Schull post-primary centre. It is not open to my Department to allow a service encroach into another school catchment area as this would be contrary to the terms of the scheme.

Boundaries may only be re-drawn with the agreement of the relevant school authorities and the planning section of the Department. I have asked the school transport and planning sections of my Department to liase regarding the Deputys proposal for a common catchment area and keep him informed of developments.