Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 575: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the reason persons (details supplied) in County Wexford, who had previously received bus passes, have been refused school transport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32038/08]

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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Bus Éireann, which operates the School Transport Scheme on behalf of my Department has advised that the family referred to by the Deputy in the details supplied will be issued with tickets this week.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 576: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the reason a student (details supplied) in County Wexford, who had previously received a bus pass for two years, has been refused school transport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32039/08]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 577: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the reason a student (details supplied) in County Wexford who has received a bus pass for the past year has been refused school transport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32040/08]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 578: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the reason a student (details supplied) in County Wexford who has received a bus pass for the past four years has been refused school transport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32041/08]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 579: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the reason a student (details supplied) in County Wexford who has previously received a bus pass has been refused school transport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32042/08]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 580: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the reason a student (details supplied) in County Wexford who has received a bus pass for the past four years has been refused school transport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32043/08]

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 576 to 580, inclusive, together.

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. 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 local 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.

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 581: To ask the Minister for Education and Science when a response will be forthcoming further to correspondence (details supplied); his plans to address the issue following a meeting with the parents' representatives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32073/08]

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I have asked the School Transport Section of my Department to request Bus Éireann, which operates the School Transport Scheme on behalf of my Department, to put arrangements in place to address the matters raised by the Deputy in the details supplied. Bus Eireann will liaise directly with the families in question when a transport service has been established.