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

Níl an freagra as Gaeilge inniu, but I thank the Senator for his kind words. This issue really does not fall into our area. This service was not developed as a school transport service so there has been no communication with my Department about it. As Senators know, we transport some 113,000 children, including some 10,000 children with special educational needs, and the service has more than 4,000 vehicles. Children are eligible for transport where they reside not less than 3.2 km from the school they are attending. The school must be the school nearest to their home, as determined by the Department and Bus Éireann. A minimum number of ten eligible children residing in a district or locality as determined by Bus Éireann are required before consideration may be given to the establishment of school transport services, provided this can be done within reasonable cost limits. Bus Éireann operates the school transport scheme and has confirmed there are currently no school transport services operating to the school in question and no transport service has been withdrawn in recent years. I understand that the service to which the Senator refers is a scheduled service and is outside the remit of this Department. The information I have received is as the Senator has outlined that from the end of October, these Monday to Friday, term time only services were withdrawn. I understand that the company took the decision on a commercial basis. It would not be a decision in which my own Department would have had any involvement, be it the nature of the decision or how the decision was reached. All I can say with regard to the primary school transport system is that we apply it equitably across the State and treat every school on the same basis. This issue concerns a particular scheduled service for which we have no responsibility unfortunately.