Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will bring those specific issues back to the Department. It has received correspondence in relation to school transport in the north Kildare area from families who have not received tickets for the current school year and who are not eligible for transport under the terms of the school transport scheme. If families have applied to attend their nearest school in regards to ethos and language and have been advised by the school authorities that it is full, the Department will consider if students can be deemed eligible for transport to the next nearest school. In order to establish that the nearest school is full parents must provide: the steps taken to enrol their child in the nearest and next nearest schools; evidence that an application for enrolment was made within the deadline specified by the school; and a letter from the school authorities confirming that the school was full at the time of enrolment.

These families can submit details to the school transport section in the Department at school_transport@education.gov.ie. To date the section says that it has not received the required documentation that I just detailed from any families in the area. In cases where the families are attending their third or fourth nearest school, the above documentation will be required for each school in turn. Families who require information in relation to the schools nearer to them can contact the school transport section. The section has outlined steps that it says have not been done. If they are done, and the section can establish that, then the pupils should be entitled to the school transport under the temporary alleviation scheme pending the outcome of the review. I encourage the Deputy to follow that up-----

See this speech in context