Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 738: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her views on declaring the village of Clonberne, Ballinasloe, County Galway a common catchment area for buses taking children to schools (details supplied); if her attention has been drawn to the fact that there are all sorts of complications which mitigate against the children of many families who want to go to the school of their choice but because of an outdated system for determining catchment area boundaries cannot do so and that this area has had huge school bus problems in recent years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34170/07]

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, 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 s/he resides 4.8 kilometres or more from her/his local post primary education centre, that is, the centre serving the catchment area in which s/he 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 — 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 have to make their own way to the nearest pick up point within that catchment area.