Written answers
Tuesday, 19 July 2011
Department of Education and Skills
School Transport
10:00 pm
Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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Question 203: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will examine if funding being provided for school transport is being used on ordinary bus runs; and if this is so, whether it should be permitted. [21254/11]
Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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The school transport scheme, which is operated by Bus Ãireann on my Department's behalf, facilitates the transportation of over 123,000 children to primary and post-primary schools each day including approximately 8,000 children with special educational needs.
School transport is a very significant national operation involving about 42 million journeys and over 82 million kilometres on 6,000 routes every school year. This service is delivered using a mix of Bus Ãireann, both school transport and road passenger vehicles, private contractor vehicles including private operator scheduled services, and Dublin Bus, Irish Rail, DART and LUAS where practical.
Bus Ãireann maintains separate accounts for activities provided in connection with the School Transport Schemes. Funding received from the Department is used solely for the purposes of providing transport for schoolchildren in accordance with the terms of these schemes.
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