Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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331. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a child is attending a primary school that is being relocated and is no longer the nearest national school as determined by the Department or Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language, if the child can be considered eligible for the primary school transport scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19659/17]

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

Currently almost 116,000 children, including some 12,000 children with special educational needs, are being transported in over 4,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually.

The purpose of the Primary 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 school transport if they satisfy the distance criterion and are attending their nearest school.

The terms of the scheme are applied equitably on a national basis.