De Valera to probe ‘Protestant’ schoolbus exclusion

EDUCATION Minister Mary Hanafin has asked her junior minister Síle de Valera to investigate the exclusion of a Catholic brother and sister from a special school bus which is to be provided to the Protestant-managed Villiers School.

Ms de Valera got embroiled in a major row last year when she was forced into a U-turn and gave school bus passes to children from Clarina, Co Limerick, attending secondary school in Pallaskenry.

She maintained they were not entitled to school bus passes as Clarina was in the catchment area of secondary schools in the city.