Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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851. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide a breakdown of the number of primary school pupils who avail of the school transport scheme; and the cost of providing this scheme to primary school children. [20145/15]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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852. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide a breakdown of the number of secondary school pupils who avail of the school transport scheme; and the cost of providing this scheme to secondary school children. [20146/15]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 851 and 852 together.

Bus Éireann has advised that in the current school year some 49,700 primary children and almost 63,900 post primary children are being transported under the terms of the school transport scheme, including almost 9,800 children with special educational needs. These figures include children who are eligible for school transport and those who are not eligible for school transport but are availing of transport on a concessionary basis.

The Bus Éireann School Transport Scheme Statement of Account for 2014 shows that the cost of transport for primary children under the School Transport Scheme in 2014 was over €91.727 million, which includes the cost transporting children with special educational needs while the cost of transport for post primary children in 2014 was some €71.796 million.

In addition, some 1,750 families of primary children, including families with children with special educational needs. received almost €2.6 million in grant payments in 2014 while during the same period 400 families of post primary children received over €600,000 in grant payments. Furthermore, the cost of providing escorts to accompany children with special educational needs amounted to some €18.6 million in 2014.