Tim O'Malley (Limerick East, Progressive Democrats)

I understand that. To answer the Deputy's question, I have no reason. I welcome the opportunity to outline to the House the Department's position on school transport for children residing in the Blackwater area of County Wexford.

One of the main objects of the school transport scheme is to provide a basic level of service for children who live long distances from schools and who might otherwise experience difficulty in attending regularly. More than 135,000 primary and post-primary pupils use the school transport scheme on a regular basis. The expenditure for school transport in 2005 will be more than €120 million which is an increase of approximately 10% on last year's outturn. This includes the cost of a comprehensive package of measures which the Minister announced earlier in the year to address the phasing out of the three for two seating arrangement on school buses. Transport costs and grant aid for children with special needs will account for approximately 33% of the expenditure in 2005. These children represent approximately 6% of the overall number of children carried each day.

I wish to focus on the specific issue of transport provision for children attending post-primary schools. For the purposes of post-primary education provision, the country is divided into catchment areas, each of which has its own post-primary centre. Under the terms of the post-primary school transport scheme, a pupil is eligible for school transport if he or she resides 4.8 km, three miles, or more from the post-primary centre in the catchment area in which he or she lives.

Eligible pupils who wish to attend post-primary schools in another catchment area may be allowed transport on school services from within the catchment boundary of the centre being attended subject to there being seats available on the school transport service and at no additional cost to the State. The pupils are responsible for getting to the catchment boundary or to the nearest school bus service within that catchment area.

An eligible pupil who is approved for catchment boundary transport is not guaranteed school transport for the duration of his or her education at that centre. As a concessionary measure, continued transport will depend on the availability of seats on the school service to that centre each school term.

Children living in the Blackwater area of County Wexford are in the Kilmuckridge catchment area. Parents who choose to send their children to the Wexford post-primary centre——

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