Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their presentations. I, too, am frustrated by the school transport scheme. I know Ms Flynn is aware of the issues in the Caherconlish, Donoughmore, Ballyneety and Fedamore area, where there is 500 m of a difference between the distance from that area to the local school of John The Baptist community school in Hospital and the distance from that area to the GPO in Limerick, yet if one goes to the GPO in Limerick, one still has another 2 km to 3 km to get to some of the schools that are claimed to be nearer to where the students live. I know that 20 students are without a bus in that area, ten of whom travelled on the bus last year under concessionary terms, but this year all 20 students have no place. It is a big inconvenience.

Senator Gallagher referred to rural versus urban services. Most of these students would have come from small rural primary schools.

In Limerick city, there is a common application system for secondary education and it is very difficult to get the school of choice. Admission is subject to meeting the criteria of the different categories, for example, brothers and sisters in a higher class. Sometimes students end up with a place in the school that is their ninth choice. The school transport scheme does not work when a common application system is applied. Will the witnesses respond to this problem?