Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 459: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the meaning of a phrase (details supplied). [27851/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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It is difficult to give the precise number of applicants for catchment boundary or concessionary transport who failed to secure a place for a number of reasons. In the first instance, a large number of families do not submit remittances until very shortly before, or even after the new school year is under way. In addition, a large number of new applications on behalf of eligible children, catchment boundary children and concessionary children have been received since the school year began, and these are currently being processed.

The position with regard to available seats is changing on a daily basis, according as arrangements are being put in place to accommodate fresh applications and as remittances are received. In addition, some primary schools are returning, for cancellation, unused tickets that were originally issued to fully eligible children but were subsequently not needed. This has in turn released seats for reallocation. Tickets are still in the process of being returned.

Bus Éireann, which operates school transport services on my Department's behalf, expects to have some overall data by the end of this month or early next month and these will be forwarded to the Deputy. However, I should emphasise again that these figures are likely to change as the school year progresses.