Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)

I welcome this opportunity to raise school transport arrangements as they apply to the Salesian secondary college, Pallaskenry, County Limerick. The position is that the children travelling to the school are from rural and urban areas. Since 1967, the school has shared a catchment area with city schools. Slightly more than 50% of the its student population come from the western suburbs of Limerick city and in many cases these students live closer to the college than any other school in the city to which they would have a chance of gaining admission. In the early 1970s, Mungret college, which served the same catchment area as the Salesian secondary college, closed and Mount Trenchard Mercy convent in Foynes closed in the 1980s. Students from Kildimo, a village near the Salesian college, and other areas closer to the city have traditionally attended the school and availed of free school transport. Many children from Limerick city who experienced difficulties securing a place in schools in their locality travelled to the Salesian college and their younger siblings then attended the school at a later date.

Students from throughout the county catchment area may travel into the city using the school transport scheme, whereas students in the city's suburbs will have to pay privately under recent changes to travel to the Salesian college. Many students in the catchment area cannot get to the school because no transport services are available. National schools in Shauntrade and Adare, for example, have 34 students in sixth class who would be expected to attend the college. The Salesian college shares a catchment area with the VEC school in Askeaton. Students from the west of the catchment area travel for convenience purposes — it is a shorter distance — to the Askeaton school, the next parish but one to Pallaskenry. The Pallaskenry catchment area, on the other hand, has traditionally been the area between the village and the city and the village and Adare.

The feeder schools for the Salesian college include Pallaskenry, Kildimo, Ballybrown, St. Nessan's, Mungret, and St. Paul's, Dooradoyle. The proposed new directive will result in school transport services being removed for students from Ballybrown, St. Nessan's, Mungret, and St. Paul's, Dooradoyle, which leaves the college with two feeder primary schools. Each of these has approximately 35 students, some of whom will decide to attend school in Limerick city because free transport will be available to the city. Children from rural areas will, therefore, be able to avail of free transport into Limerick city.

I ask that free school transport continue to be provided to students in the traditional catchment area of Pallaskenry in line with the position since 1967. The issue was examined on a number of occasions and each time it was decided to maintain the status quo. The benefits available to city schools should also be open to the Salesian college but the current cut-off point for availability of free school transport has been set at less than three miles from the college. The Salesian college has enjoyed a good reputation for more than 100 years during which the Salesian Fathers have given excellent service to the community. As the Minister will appreciate, the new directive has serious implications for the school. I ask that the current position, which has worked since 1967, be maintained and children who wish to attend the same school as their siblings and neighbours be allowed to do so. Some of the children in question have difficulty securing a place in schools in Limerick city. In addition, Pallaskenry is regarded as the natural choice of school for children in the locality.

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