Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle for facilitating this debate on school transport and small schools in general.

I acknowledge and fully appreciate the difficulties regarding this issue and the present proposals for changes to school transport schemes have been inherited by the present Government.

The problem with the proposals is that the new charges will place a further burden on young families that are already under severe financial pressure to make ends meet and keep a roof over their heads. The removal of eligibility under the closed school rule will have an especially devastating effect on rural areas, particularly the increase from the current minimum of seven to ten children for the establishment or retention of services.

In Tuosist there is an excellent national school run by an excellent principal and staffed by excellent teachers who provide a solid education in this rural area. There are 73 pupils at the school, with 43 from outside the catchment area, seven from inside the eligible area, while the others live inside the 3.2 kilometre radius, making them ineligible for free transport. Their parents must pay €200 per pupil for the concessionary ticket.

In the townland of Dromuchty in the parish of Tuosist, I met a young family with young children, some of whom now go to the national school in Tuosist. If these changes are made, the younger children must go to the national school in Kenmare, because it is nearer. We have nothing against the school in Kenmare but there has always been a cherished tradition that when a small child went to school, an older sibling would be there to take him by the hand and mind him if he was afraid. That bit of comfort existed not just for the first few days, but for the first few months. Problems further down the line could be helped by having an older sibling in the school. This, however, will split families down the middle, with some going one way and some the other. Then, parents will be trying to drive children to school while working hard to pay for the increased charges they face. They are being asked to drive some children one way, some the other while they are supposed to drive to work to pay for the charges they must now face. This situation will be replicated across the country, with thousands of families affected.

Another problem is the short timeframe. Many schools only received notification on 20 March that they had an opportunity to apply for new passengers, on behalf of new infants, and the deadline was 31 March. Many of these schools will not have children enrolling until just before the summer holidays in May or June.

Will the Minister of State reconsider the proposed charging for a service that was free until now and which provided an excellent service to the rural school-going population? More important, will he increase the current minimum of eligible children for the retention of services? In light of an ongoing Government review of small primary schools, which also worries me, I contend that the school transport service gives value for money and is the last remaining lifeline for hundreds of rural communities and schools.

The success of the rural transport initiative, where value for money is of paramount importance, is a model I recommend the Minister of State considers when making decisions on school transport. In these difficult times we must have value for money, but how do we place a monetary value on a vibrant community? In many rural areas, the school is the only remaining focal point; the creameries, pubs, shops and post offices are gone. Please do not take away our rural schools as well. We have lost enough and do not want to lose any more.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this matter today. Before I address the issue of the changes to the primary school transport scheme, I will give the House an outline of the extent of the school transport service.

School transport is a very significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on the Department's behalf that covers over 82 million km annually. In the region of 123,000 children, including more than 8,000 children with special needs, are transported in approximately 4,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. Children eligible for transport may use scheduled public transport services, including the DART and Luas.

A number of changes to the school transport scheme were introduced in the last budget of the previous Fianna Fáil-Green Party Government. The changes to the primary school transport scheme derive from recommendations in the recently published value for money report of the scheme and relate to the introduction of charges, changes to the "closed school rule", changes to the minimum numbers required to establish or maintain a service and new arrangements to be put in place with Bus Éireann on a phased basis for the operation of the scheme. The changes to the closed school rule and the minimum numbers required to establish or maintain a service will have an impact on the overall provision of school transport.

The closed school rule for school transport eligibility purposes was introduced in the 1960s in circumstances where a primary school was closed and amalgamated with another. Under this rule pupils residing in the closed school area are eligible for transport to the school of amalgamation, even though they may be residing less than 3.2 km from that school.

There is also what is termed a central school rule, resulting from the amalgamation of a greater number of schools. In these instances, transport is provided for children residing not less than 1 mile or 1.6 km from the new central school. No time limit has been applied to the closed school central school rule. In some cases, the primary school in question was closed up to 40 years ago and amalgamated with another school. In some instances, a newer school has been built subsequently in the general area of the original closed school. However, under the primary school transport scheme the transport provided is to the amalgamated school only, even in circumstances where there is a newer school closer to the pupil's home. A pupil in these circumstances is not eligible for free transport to the newer school.

With regard to forward planning policy to meet pupil places annually, the Department of Education and Skills assesses school accommodation needs in each area based on local demographic trends, current and projected enrolments, recent and planned housing developments and the capacity of existing schools to meet demand for places. The closed school rule can operate to distort parental decisions and result in pupils travelling longer distances than necessary, were they to go to the nearest school. Put another way, the closed school rule operates to deny school transport eligibility to children travelling to their nearest school and meeting the requisite distance criterion.

The specific changes announced in respect of the closed school rule are as follows. From the commencement of the 2011 school year, the distance criteria will be applied to all pupils attending primary schools and the exemption under the closed school rule will cease. This means children who reside less than 3.2 km from the school of attendance and who are currently availing of free transport to that school under the closed school rule will no longer be eligible for school transport. From the 2012 school year, eligibility based on the closed school rule and the central school rule will cease for all new children entering primary schools. However, I emphasise that existing primary pupils availing of transport under the closed school rule will retain transport eligibility for the duration of their schooling, provided the requisite distance is met. Moreover, given that the change in question will not come into being until September 2012, all new pupils enrolling this September will be eligible under the closed school rule.

The practical consequence of these changes are as follows. The principle of using the distance criteria as the key eligibility criterion, having regard to language and ethos, will be applied equitably nationally. Transitional arrangements for a period of seven years will be provided to cater for the eligible primary cohort attending the amalgamated school to allow them to complete their schooling at the school. In the case of all future primary school amalgamations, eligibility will be based on the distance criteria applying at that time and attendance at the nearest school. From 2012 onwards pupils residing in a closed school area, for whom the amalgamated school is not their nearest but who enrol in their nearest school, will be eligible for school transport provided the requisite distance of 3.2 km is met.