Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 175: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will reinstate the rural school bus transport scheme for a school (details supplied) in County Cork. [26346/11]

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Changes in the School Transport Scheme were announced 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 announced included an increase to ten in the minimum number of eligible pupils, residing in a distinct locality, required to establish or retain an individual school transport service.

Bus Éireann, which operates the school transport schemes on behalf of my Department, has advised that in this case, the number of applications from eligible pupils did not match the above requirement and consequently the service was withdrawn from the beginning of the current school year.

This minimum number requirement has been applied to all individual school transport services nationally from the commencement of the 2011/12 school year.

As is currently the position, families of eligible pupils, for whom there is no school transport service available, may apply for a remote area grant towards the cost of making private transport arrangements.

It is essential to stress that the wider context within which this change is taking place, is a situation of the most serious financial difficulties. Under the four year recovery plan, there is a requirement to deliver savings of €17 million on the school transport budget and this measure is an integral part of this.