asked the Minister for Education if he will clarify the position of private bus owners already engaged in the transport of students to vocational schools under the travelling scholarships scheme; and whether they will be retained under the new free transport scheme.

57.

asked the Minister for Education what type of transport will be employed to carry children to schools under the proposed free transport scheme; if private bus owners already engaged in the transport of school children will be employed; and, if not, if they will be compensated for any loss of business.

With your permission, a Cheann Chomhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 56 and 57 together.

As I have already announced, the new State-financed transport scheme to post-primary schools will be administered by Córas Iompair Éireann. The type of transport to be employed in each area will be determined by factors such as the nature of the routes and the number of children eligible for transport; the vehicles may range from hackney cars to large buses.

CIE will use their own vehicles as far as possible, but, where necessary, they will enter into contracts with operators of private transport. In the case of services already established by private enterprise, the company will negotiate with the operators with a view to integrating these services in the new scheme.

Would the Minister state if the Chief Education Officer of each County Vocational Committee will be in charge of the organising of the transport for post-primary education in each county?

It is hoped that the CEO in each appropriate area will be the liaison officer, so to speak, and the agent for the Department vis-à-vis CIE. CIE, of course, will be responsible for the administration and the running but he will be the go-between between the Department and CIE.

(Cavan): The Minister has already requested the CEOs to act as such?

Yes.

Could the Minister say whether he or the Minister for Transport and Power will decide the number of new vehicles to be purchased and where they are to be purchased from?

In this there are three Ministries involved, Industry and Commerce, Transport and Power and my own Department. Naturally, all of these and the Department of Finance would be consulted on the question of new vehicles. A huge number of summer buses come off the routes in September, more or less the start of the school year and in many instances they do not go back on the summer run until the ending of the school year so we do not anticipate that there will be any——

Is this not starting in April?

There will not be many buses required initially.

I thought there might be many small buses.

It was announced that the transport scheme would start on the 1st April. What that means, in actual fact, is that it is hoped that CIE will take over the contracts which are the responsibility of existing parent associations with hauliers from the 1st April and then that the scheme proper will start in September. This scheme cannot possibly get under way in the first year. I think it will take about three years to be worked properly.

There is no suggestion that CIE, in fact, would be importing fully the buses for this particular job?

That is the first I heard of that.

Is the Minister saying now that, in fact, existing schemes which are run by parent associations will be administered by CIE and that it will only be in stages that they will be put into operation in the next three years? Perhaps I misinterpreted the Minister.

Parent associations have made very heavy sacrifices for their children negotiating with private hauliers. It is hoped that CIE will enter into a contract where possible with that private haulier, in other words supplant the parent associations.

That is what I asked the Minister.

(Cavan): So there will be really no change before 1st September. It would not be like the greyhound in Shannon?