Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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380. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if an application by a school (details supplied) for a bus escort will be approved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24388/16]

John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
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School transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department.

During the 2015/16 school year in the region of 114,000 children, including some 10,000 children with special educational needs, were transported in approximately 4,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually. Bus Éireann has advised that the child in question is availing of mainstream school transport on a concessionary basis.

Bus escorts are not a feature of school transport services operating under my Department's Primary or Post Primary School Transport Schemes. Consequently, the appointment of an escort on the service being availed of by the child in question cannot be approved.

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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381. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a person (details supplied) has been refused a concessionary bus ticket for attending the closest secondary school to them in County Cavan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24411/16]

John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
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School transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department.

During the 2015/16 school year in the region of 114,000 children, including some 10,000 children with special educational needs, were transported in approximately 4,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually.

Bus Éireann, which operates the School Transport Scheme on behalf of my Department, has advised that the child in question was incorrectly categorised as ineligible for school transport.

The family were notified of this error and a ticket for the 2016/17 school year has been issued. Bus Éireann will issue a refund to this family.