Ned O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 1344: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the reason for the delay in having school bus transport provided for a first year student (details supplied) in County Cork. [1689/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Under the terms of my Department's post-primary school transport scheme, a pupil is eligible for school transport if he or she resides 4.8 km — 3 miles — or more from the post-primary centre in the catchment area in which he or she resides.

The scheme is not designed to facilitate parents who choose to send their children to a post-primary centre outside of the catchment area in which they reside. However, children who are fully eligible for transport to the post primary centre in the catchment area in which they reside may apply for transport on a concessionary basis to a post-primary centre outside of their own catchment area — otherwise known as catchment boundary transport. These children can only be facilitated if spare seats are available on the bus after all other eligible children travelling to their "own" post-primary centre have been catered for. Such children will have to make their way either to the catchment boundary or to the nearest pick up point within that catchment area.

My Department understands from the transport liaison officer for County Cork that the student referred to by the Deputy in the details supplied has applied for catchment boundary transport. My Department also understands that there are not enough space seats available on the transport service or services to accommodate the child. However, as the position with regard to spare seats may change from term to term, the pupil should contact the local Bus Éireann office each term for an update in this regard.