Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. He has spoken about a specific area in County Donegal. The broader school transport scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. It transports 113,000 children, including more than 8,000 with special needs, and 4,000 vehicles are used daily. It has been in operation for more than 40 years.

For the purposes of replying to the Deputy, the definition of school transport catchment boundaries has been the subject of many submissions and representations to the Department during the years. It is widely considered by many that the current catchment boundary areas do not reflect changed demographics. Changes to the post-primary school transport scheme were announced in budget 2011. One of these changes which will take effect from the commencement of the 2012-13 school year means that the use of the catchment area system as a means of determining eligibility will cease for all pupils entering a post-primary school as first entrants. The point made by the Deputy is that this creates the potential to split families.

By way of providing assistance and acknowledging County Donegal as a peripheral location, I suggest the Deputy either make direct representations to the Minister of State, Deputy Cannon, who has responsibility for school transport or contact the school transport section of the Department. I acknowledge there will be anomalies under the scheme.

On the budgetary provision, there are no two ways about it, a budgetary saving will be made, but if it can be done in a way that tries to apply the principles of common sense and weed out anomalies so as to avoid the splitting of family members and if a special case can be made for the region to which the Deputy refers, my respectful suggestion to him is to make representations to the Minister.

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