Seán Connick (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Question 301: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will allow school pupils who attended their nearest national schools which are designated feeder schools for a secondary school, but who live outside the catchment area of those secondary schools, to avail of the school transport scheme. [2659/09]

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. Families should liaise with the Transport Liaison Officer, for the county in which they reside, regarding the availability of spare seats on school transport services.

I am pleased to advise the Deputy that a Steering Committee to oversee the Value for Money Review of the School Transport Scheme, including catchment boundaries, has been established. This review will be carried out as part of the 2009-2011 round of Value for Money Reviews recently approved by Government and, when completed, will be published and submitted to the Oireachtas Select Committee on Education and Science.