Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)

I thank the Senator for raising the matter.

At the outset I want to stress that school transport is a very significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on my Department's behalf and covering 82 million km. annually. In the region of 113,000 children, including more than 8,000 children with special educational needs, are transported in approximately 4,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country.

Under the general terms of the post-primary school transport scheme, from the commencement of the 2012-13 school year, children will be eligible for school transport where they reside not less than 4.8 km from and are attending their nearest education centre as determined by my Department or Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.

Under the terms of the scheme, children who are not eligible for school transport may apply to Bus Éireann for transport on a concessionary basis subject to a number of conditions which include the payment of the €350 annual charge. The charge may be paid in two instalments in July and December. I can assure the Senator that while I sympathise with the situation he outlined, the school transport schemes must be administered equitably on a national scale. There is an exemption for eligible children who hold valid medical cards. Unfortunately, the exemption does not extend to children availing of school transport on a concessionary basis.

If the Senator wishes to engage further with my office and provide me with a greater level of detail of the exact situation I will engage with him further to see if we can come up with a satisfactory solution to the problem.