Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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49. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there are no school places available in a local Gaelscoil due to the effects of a sibling policy being in place, if his Department will consider introducing a school bus or a travel grant to enable students to travel to an alternative Gaelscoil further away but within the catchment area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18107/14]

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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The purpose of my Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school. Children are eligible for transport where they reside not less than 3.2 kilometres from, and are attending, their nearest Gaelscoil. In general, transport services are not established in areas where public scheduled bus services already exist. In such cases children who are eligible for school transport are facilitated with travel permits for public scheduled services. Families of children who are eligible for school transport and for whom no service is available, may be offered the Remote Area Grant towards the cost of private transport arrangements. Where my Department is satisfied that a particular Gaelscoil does not have capacity to enrol additional children, then these children may have their transport eligibility considered by reference to the distance they reside from their next nearest Gaelscoil.