Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 596: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will examine the feasibility of requesting the school transport facility to collect children at a location (details supplied) in County Wicklow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39228/08]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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Under the terms of the Primary School Transport Scheme, only eligible children qualify for free transport. In order to be eligible, children must live at least 3.2 kilometres from, and be attending, their nearest National School or school of amalgamation.

Primary school transport routes are generally planned so that, as far as possible, no eligible child will have more than 2.4 kilometres to travel to a pick-up point. Pupils living off the main route of a service are generally expected to make their own way, or to be brought to convenient pick-up points along the main route.

Bus Éireann, which operates the school transport scheme on behalf of my Department, has advised that the pupils in question currently avail of a school transport service within my Department's guidelines and to extend the route would involve additional cost to the State.