Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)

I am glad the Minister of State, Deputy Cannon, is present because, this time last year, he attended a meeting in the Listowel Arms Hotel hosted by the Minister, Deputy Deenihan. There were 500 or 600 people present that night and their anger as a consequence of the post-primary school transport system in the north Kerry area was evident. I can tell the Minister of State it is an awful lot worse now than it was then. Those of us who were public representatives were able to work with Bus Éireann in a constructive way to facilitate the requirements of many of those who had concerns at that time.

I want to bring the current situation to the Minister of State's attention. There is currently a 53-seat and a 49-seat bus service operating in Ardfert, Ballyheigue and Abbeydorney and servicing the Causeway Comprehensive School. That service is operating at capacity and, while an extra 18 people from the Ardfert-Abbeydorney area need transport to the school for the coming year, there are no seats available for them. This situation is replicated in the Ashdee, Tarbert and Ballybunion areas, and Kilflynn and every other village throughout north Kerry is experiencing similar circumstances.

Students from Ardfert and Abbeydorney are consistently unable to gain entry to the nearest school, which is in Tralee, because the school admission policy favours students from the local feeder schools in Tralee, whose capacity is ever-increasing. Yet, the Causeway area would be a feeder area for Ardfert, Ballyheigue, Abbeydorney and other villages. The outcome of all of this is that, in one area, there are 18 students who have no seat and cannot get on the bus, whereas their brothers and sisters are currently using that bus to travel to Causeway Comprehensive School. There is a similar situation in Ashdee, where nine students want to get on the bus but there are only three seats available, although they have brothers and sisters travelling to Tarbert or Ballybunion. As they cannot get on the bus, they are compelled to try to get into schools in towns such as Listowel or Tralee.

Something needs to be done. I have met Bus Éireann representatives and will meet them again on Monday. It is an injustice to divide families when the parents went to these schools previously and when brothers and sisters must go to a different school. It is ridiculous. I hope the Minister of State will give this consideration and that he will be able to find a way to resolve the matter.

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