Noel Grealish (Galway West, Progressive Democrats)
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Question 230: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her plans to run a school bus service for the children of Claregalway and Carnmore to a school (details supplied) in County Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8434/06]

Síle de Valera (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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Under the terms of my Department's post-primary school transport scheme, a pupil is eligible for transport if he or she resides 4.8 kilometres or more from the centre serving the catchment area in which he or she lives. 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, which is otherwise known as catchment boundary transport. Children will have to make their way to the nearest pick up point within that catchment area. These children can only be facilitated if spare seats are available on the bus after all other eligible children travelling to the post-primary centre in the catchment area in which they reside have been catered for. As the pupils referred to by the Deputy reside outside the catchment area of the centre attended, they may apply for catchment boundary transport subject to the conditions outlined.