Breeda Moynihan-Cronin (Kerry South, Labour)
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Question 434: To ask the Minister for Education and Science when a decision will issue regarding school transport for children in an area (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26775/04]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has no plans to establish a school transport service to the school in question for those pupils residing in the area referred to by the Deputy. The pupils may, if they so wish, apply for concessionary catchment boundary transport and have their applications assessed in the normal way.

Breeda Moynihan-Cronin (Kerry South, Labour)
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Question 435: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the reason for the extraordinary delay in her Department in issuing a decision on an application for an extension of a school bus service (details supplied); when a decision will issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26776/04]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has recently conveyed its decision to the relevant transport liaison officer.

The Deputy will be aware that under the terms of the post-primary school transport scheme, routes are planned so that, in general, no pupil will have more than two miles to travel to a pick-up point. Furthermore, where eligible pupils attend a school at a centre other than the post-primary centre that caters for the catchment area in which they live, they may be allowed the concession of transport from the catchment boundary of the centre attended, provided there is room for them on a bus serving that centre.

Having considered the distances involved to the pick-up point and the fact that some of the children are living outside of the catchment area concerned, my Department is satisfied that a re-routing of the bus service could not be justified in this case at additional cost to the State.