Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I can tell the Minister of State what his Department is doing. It is now saying that those students have to go to Buncrana, which is four miles longer, to get to Carndonagh community school because they cannot use that gap. This means more fuel, longer bus times and more expense. The Minister of State is saying that if those students are to go to Buncrana, the Department will have to put on another bus to take them that extra long route to Buncrana. That is what the Department has decided. It would cost the Minister of State's Department more money. It will split that parish because the children will have to go to different schools and siblings will be split between different schools. This is the situation the Minister of State is refusing to change. There is a thing called common sense and it seems the Department of Education and Skills and the Ministers are not intervening to ensure common sense is brought into play in this instance. The Minister of State is telling the parents of students in first, second and third years that regardless of their income and their capacity to pay, if they want their student to continue to go to Carndonagh community school next year, they will have to pony up €350 for one student or €650 for two students to continue to go to Carndonagh community school.

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