John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)

While I acknowledge savings have to be made in regard to school transport, the implementation on the ground of some of the changes is madness. Children starting primary school and requiring transport must now go to what is the nearest school but, in many cases, problems are being caused due to distance rules which might involve just 100 m. What savings can be made from 100 m? As Deputy Ferris said, families are being split up, with members of the one family being forced to go to different schools.

I know the Minister of State is very aware of this and is making efforts to get it sorted out. However, the situation will come to a head in August and September. There are several examples in Mayo. In Kilkelly, some 200 m in the difference means a bus goes to one school but no bus goes to the other school, to which first year students are being asked to go. It is not as if there is a choice between the two because a tradition has built up in one direction. In Knock, the bus passes the door of a child who is being denied access to it, again because of this distance rule. In Ballyboy, a tradition that has built up over 40 years has been broken. Where pupils are now in a different diocese, they will be forced to travel in a different direction from their natural shopping hinterland, sporting clubs and so on. The same happens between Baal and Ballinrobe where the distance involved is 100 m.

If this goes ahead next September one member of a family will be collected at 8.10 a.m. and dropped off at 4.10 p.m. as is the case at present but their young sister will be picked up at 7.30 a.m. and dropped off at 4.30 p.m. When this works through the system it will have major implications for schools that received investment for new and additional buildings in recent years. There is no way that savings can be made from some of these decisions that are due to be implemented.

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