Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 252: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills if a person (details supplied) in County Galway is entitled to school transport from their home to a school; if her attention has been drawn to the huge input in both time and money their parents have put in ensuring that they get the best education consistent with their abilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19496/10]

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. 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. The Transport Liaison Officer of Co. Galway has advised that the pupil referred to in the details supplied is not attending a school in the catchment area in which he resides and therefore may only apply for catchment boundary transport subject to the terms outlined above.