Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)

I welcome this opportunity to outline to the House the position of the Department of Education and Science regarding school transport for the children living on the Quivvy Road who attend national schools in Belturbet, County Cavan. By way of general comment, one of the main objectives of the school transport scheme is to provide a basic level of service for children who live long distances from schools and who might otherwise experience difficulty in attending regularly.

Approximately 136,000 primary and post-primary pupils use the school transport scheme on a regular basis. The allocation for school transport in 2008 is €175.2 million. Around 25% of the allocation will be expended this year on transport costs and grant aid for children with special needs, who represent about 6% of the overall number of children carried each day.

Under the terms of the primary school transport scheme, pupils who are attending their nearest suitable national school and reside 3.2 km or more from the school are determined by the Department to be eligible for free school transport. Primary school transport routes are generally planned so that, as far as possible, no eligible child will have more than 2.4 km to travel to a pick-up point. Pupils living off the main route of a service are generally expected to make their own way or be brought to convenient pick-up points along the main route. Home pick-ups were never envisaged as being part of the school transport scheme as the cost involved on a countrywide level would be prohibitive.

Bus Éireann, which operates the school transport service on behalf of the Department, is responsible for the day-to-day operation of school bus services. Bus routes are planned in such a way as to ensure that, as far as possible, eligible pupils have a reasonable level of service while at the same time ensuring that school transport vehicles are fully utilised in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Routes are determined on the basis of numbers of eligible pupils in particular areas, road networks, distance guidelines and other operational factors.

Bus Éireann has advised that the families residing in the Quivvy Road area are being accommodated within guidelines, with pick-up points between 1.77 and 2.4 km from their homes. In the circumstances, the Department is not prepared to approve an extension of a service where it is satisfied that children have a level of service within the school transport guidelines. However, parents of eligible children may, where feasible and subject to certain conditions, pay for an extension to an existing transport route. Accordingly, the parents in this case may, should they so wish, consult with the local Bus Éireann office regarding the feasibility of a payable extension to the current service. I thank the Senator once again for affording me the opportunity to outline to the House the current position in this regard.