James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It may be inappropriate to raise this issue, but the implementation of the distance criteria in regard to school transport is causing untold problems in rural areas. Sometimes two children in a family may be going to one school, but the third child is now being forced to attend a different school. This is placing a huge burden on parents, who sometimes have to bring their children to two or three different pick-up points. Is there are any chance there can be flexibility for children whose siblings are in a different school? The Minister can understand the problems this issue causes working parents in rural areas, particularly if they have to drop children to pick-up points at different ends of the parish.