Michael McNamara (Clare, Labour)
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Question 93: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will make the records of the 1969 closure of a school (details supplied) in County Clare available to the board of management, in order that they can confirm the agreement given to parents about the new arrangement for school bus transportation of children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14982/11]

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I wish to inform the Deputy that school transport arrangements under the Closed School Rule originated from the last major amalgamation of schools in the late 1960s. Under the Closed School Rule, transport is generally provided to the school of amalgamation for pupils who reside in a closed school area. However, over the course of the last 42 years, many parts of Ireland have experienced changes in population, the number of schools in an area may have increased and private transport is more widely available. While my Department acknowledges the importance of school transport, my Department must always seek to ensure that every service that is funded by the public is operated in a manner that delivers for pupils, parents and taxpayers alike.

In light of this, the Closed School Rule changes to school transport services were announced in the 2011 Budget by the previous Fianna Fáil-Green Party Government and derive from recommendations in the Value for Money Review of the scheme. One of the changes, which takes effect from the beginning of the 2011/12 school year, is that the distance eligibility criterion will be applied uniformly to all pupils attending primary schools and the exemption under the 'Central/Closed School Rule' (CSR) will cease. This means that children who reside less than 3.2 kilometres from their school of attendance and who are currently availing of free transport to that school under the CSR will lose their transport eligibility.

Bus Éireann, which operates the school transport schemes on behalf of my Department, has advised that the children referred to reside less than 3.2 kilometres from the school in question and will therefore not be eligible for school transport from 2011/12. Children who are not eligible for school transport may apply to Bus Éireann for concessionary transport in accordance with the terms of the scheme.