Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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Question 145: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will review the issue of school transport in respect of persons (details supplied) in County Limerick. [16577/11]

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Under the terms of the Primary School Transport scheme pupils are eligible for free transport if they reside 3.2 kilometres or more from, and are attending, their nearest national school or school of amalgamation.

Bus Éireann, which operates the school transport scheme on behalf of my Department, has advised that the pupils referred to by the Deputy are not attending their school of amalgamation and are therefore not eligible for school transport under the Closed School Rule (CSR).

The Deputy may be aware that the cessation of the Closed School Rule (CSR) as it relates to primary school transport eligibility was announced in the 2011 Budget by the previous Fianna Fáil – Green Party Government and derives from a recommendation in the published Value for Money Review of the scheme.

This change is scheduled to take effect in September 2012 and will apply only in the case of pupils commencing their primary education from that date.