§ Mr. Goldingasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she will seek to extend the bus fare subsidies to embrace children having to travel two miles a day each way to school.
§ Mr. van StraubenzeeI understand that the Question relates to the provision of free transport by local education authorities. Authorities have a statutory duty to provide free school transport for children of compulsory school age who live beyond the statutory walking distances. These are two miles for children under 8, and three miles for children of 8 and over. Authorities also have powers to provide schools transport or to pay the whole or part of the cost, in all other cases—for example, over shorter distances where they are satisfied that there are special grounds for doing so.