Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein)
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Cuirim céad fáilte roimh an Aire. Ní bhfuair mé deis é seo a dhéanamh go poiblí ach déanaim comhghairdeachas leis as ucht an pholasaí oideachais Gaeltachta agus as ucht an iarracht mhór a rinne sé ó thaobh na Gaeilge nuair a bhí an polasaí sin á sheoladh. I congratulate the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Richard Bruton, on the Gaeltacht education policy and the great effort he made to speak Irish on that occasion. It was very much appreciated and I thank him for it.

I am raising an immediate and a serious issue affecting a school in County Galway. I joined hundreds of children, parents and staff at Claddagh national school who were protesting against the cancellation of the bus service to the school last Friday. Further protests against cancelled city bus services could be on the cards if the Westside to Claddagh school service is not restored. Services from Westside to Claddagh, Scoil Einde to Seacreast and Claddagh to Westside via Salthill were all cancelled a number of weeks ago.Claddagh national school principal, Mr. Michael Gallagher, has said that the aim of the march was to highlight the hardship of families and parents as a result of Bus Éireann's decision to cut the bus route that has existed for almost 30 years. Support for the restoration of the service is unanimous, both within the community and across the political spectrum. I joined with colleagues from across both Houses, including those in government who support this campaign, at the protest the other day. Locally elected representatives came out en masseto support the cause and it seems that everyone is in favour of restoring the bus route except Bus Éireann. The people are calling on us, as politicians, to intervene and to see what can be done to try to reverse this thoughtless and cruel decision. The school bus has been serving the school for almost 30 years and was cancelled without consultation or proper notification, just as winter began. Families with very young children are now walking several miles to school at the darkest, coldest and most dangerous time of the year. They feel it is deeply unfair. Members have been seeking a meeting with the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ross, on this issue and a petition has been signed by more than 1,000 people.

I had a question put to the Minister but he said it was outside his area of responsibility, which I found quite strange.

I raise the issue today because this is going to have an impact on the children in the school. It is certainly having a very disruptive effect on the management and running of the school. I had a question put to the Minister to see if he or the Department of Education and Skills was consulted about the cut to this bus service, which is having an impact. As the Minister is aware, Galway schools are very full. There is little capacity and a lack of choice for parents who may want to try to move their children to a different school. That is not what is envisaged in this scenario. They would prefer the bus service to be there, but they would not have choice even if they wanted one. We have children and parents coming from an area where, in the main, they would not have their own transport. There is transport chaos in Galway anyway, so the more people we can have on the school buses the better to try to avoid that.

This is having an impact on the children who have to walk to school in the morning and walk home in the evening time. It also has an impact on parents, some of whom are working also. Was the Minister consulted and does he have concerns in this regard?

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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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.

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein)
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I take on board what the Minister is saying, but the Government as a whole has a responsibility to ensure that children can come and go to school and that where a service is impacting on children who are going to that school, it is, therefore, an issue of concern to the Minister for Education and Skills if changes such as this are made without any planning with the Department. I implore the Minister to intervene with the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ross, on this issue. Perhaps the Minister, Deputy Bruton, could contact Bus Éireann with regard to the service which has been changed or withdrawn to ask it if it could review the situation in light of the impact it is having on the students, parents and staff in the school in Claddagh.

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Unfortunately this is not a school transport service for which I have any role or relationship with Bus Éireann. Bus Éireann only run the services we have agreed with it, based on national criteria. This is one that would not fall into my area. I understand that Bus Éireann has done a lot of restructuring of its services in Galway and has succeeded in building up the patronage by 50% through restructuring and better routes and services and so on. Bus Éireann is an independent body. It has public subvention but it must deploy the subvention as best it can within Galway. Unfortunately it is for the Senator to speak to Bus Éireann locally to see what the context is for its decision and if there are alternative services on offer that would service these schools. I must stick to the national scheme which we apply equitably to every school that applies to the Department for a service on the basis of the criteria I have outlined. I have nothing in my tool box that would resolve this one I am afraid.

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein)
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The Minister might help to support the campaign.