Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Under the terms of my Department's primary school transport scheme, pupils who reside 3.2 kilometres or more from, and are attending their nearest suitable national school, as determined by my Department, are eligible for school transport. The pupils referred to by the Deputy, in the details supplied, are not attending their nearest national school and are therefore not eligible for school transport.

In the case of a pupil with special educational needs, a pupil is eligible for school transport if s/he is attending the nearest recognised mainstream school, special class/special school or a unit, that is or can be resourced, to meet the child's special educational needs under my Department's criteria.

The National Council for Special Education has responsibility, through its network of Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for the establishment of special education facilities and for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants to schools to support children with special needs.

The parents/guardians of the pupil in question should liaise, in the first instance, with the local SENO. Eligibility for transport, under the terms of the above scheme, will then be considered upon receipt of the completed school transport application form.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Under the terms of my Department's primary school transport scheme, pupils may avail of concessionary fare paying transport subject to a number of conditions including the availability of spare seats on an existing service.

In this regard the parents/guardians of the pupils in question should liaise with their local Bus Éireann office.