Mr. Gerry Gannon:

I will respond to some of the queries that related to the policy of the school transport scheme. One of the questions from Deputy McEntee was about discretion. I am taking the questions as I have written them and mean no disrespect. The rules on discretion changed as a result of a budget announcement in 2011. While I can appreciate it is difficult for families to understand it, one reason that one child in a family may not be eligible while the other two could still be eligible is because there is a new set of rules and the new criteria apply to the younger child. The children who already are in the system, if they were eligible, will remain eligible until they leave school. The difference regarding eligibility where the medical card is concerned - this relates to Deputy Ann Phelan's question - is that only eligible children are entitled to the medical card waiver under the school transport scheme. We do not have any discretion on that. We do not have discretion with regard to the manner in which we apply the criteria of the school transport scheme. One of our key responsibilities is to apply it impartially in a uniform fashion on a national basis. Consequently, I am sorry but the answer to that question is "No". I believe I have answered the questions.