Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)

Any family which is losing a service will be informed of the availability of the grant and accessing it is a very straightforward process which is not too bureaucratic. I also went to a rural school, in east Galway. There were two teachers and 47 pupils when I left a number of years ago. There are now five teachers and 170 pupils in the school which has never had and never will have a school bus service.

I do not completely support the supposition that removing a bus service from a school somehow sounds a death knell for it. Perhaps it will lead to difficulties in certain areas but this is a change we cannot avoid imposing. It is part of an overall saving of €350 million by 2014 to be achieved in the Department of Education and Skills.

The schools transport aspect of the saving is €17 million. The changes implemented this year are expected to produce a saving in the order of €3.5 million and still have to find another €13.5 million in savings over the next three years.