Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Murphy O'Mahony for raising this issue. I am happy to reply on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Halligan. The Department and Government are very aware of the importance of small schools in rural communities. That is why it is in the programme for Government that small schools will not be closed without the consent of parents. The initiative for closing a school may come from a variety of sources, such as parents, staff, boards of management, the patron or the Department. Any proposal to close a school must involve consultation with all of the relevant stakeholders and follow decisions taken at local level. I understand that procedure was followed in this case.

The position with regard to school transport is that it is a huge operation. There are 116,000 children, including almost 12,000 children with special educational needs, who are transported every day in approximately 4,500 vehicles. Such a large programme requires that eligibility criteria are applied nationally on a uniform basis. The scheme only provides support for escorts to accompany children with special educational needs. Escorts are not a feature of the mainstream primary or post-primary school transport services. Many children use ordinary scheduled services which provide that access. Bus Éireann is responsible for the planning and time-tabling of school transport routes. It endeavours, within available resources, to ensure that each eligible child has a reasonable level of school transport service in the context of the scheme nationally. Routes are planned so that, as far as possible, no eligible child will have more than 2.4 km to travel to a pick-up point. Children living off the main route of a service are generally expected to make their own way or to be brought to convenient pick-up points along the main route.

In the case of Sherkin Island there is no charge for the children on the ferry. Bus Éireann has advised that there are two children who are in fourth and sixth class who attend Rathmore national school with an address on Sherkin Island. As these children are collected at the pier where they get off the ferry, a long walk is not involved. Unfortunately the scheme that applies has to apply uniformly and we do not provide chaperones in the sort of circumstances the Deputy describes. They are confined to children with special needs. There are other children who have to adapt to the scheme. There are continual demands for expansion and extension of this scheme. We have had to operate in a situation where rules are applied uniformly in order that we can stand over them on a consistent basis and where every child is treated on the same basis.

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