Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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221. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of a school (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1613/16]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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Bus Éireann, which operates the School Transport Scheme on behalf of my Department, has confirmed that from a safety perspective turning buses at the school in question cannot be recommended. To serve this school some buses would have to use a junction which has been deemed unsafe for this purpose because buses would have to make a left-hand turn and in doing so the bus would be obliged to take up the opposite side of the road.

Given the number of buses involved, it is not considered feasible by Bus Éireann to divert all of these buses to collect and drop off at the school. As previously advised while some children are dropped at the school in the morning, in the evening all children must travel to meet the services at a central point; this is a common feature of the school transport scheme nationally.

Bus Éireann has been requested to contact the school Principal to fully explain their safety concerns.

Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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222. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills how a school (details supplied) in County Kerry can apply for funding for a safe drop-off and collection area; who it should contact in her Department, any other useful information; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1636/16]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I wish to advise that the works referred to by the Deputy are appropriate to the Summer Works Scheme, the purpose of which is to devolve funding to individual school authorities to facilitate carrying out small and medium scale capital works that will improve and upgrade existing school buildings and the grounds within the school site area.

Under the scheme, responsibility for identifying and prioritising the most urgently required project rests with the school authority. While the school has submitted an application under the 2016/17 summer works scheme, it did not prioritise the works referred to by the Deputy. It will be open to the school, if it so decides, to make an application under a future summer works scheme.