Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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136. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the proposed changes to a school bus route (details supplied) in County Mayo; his views on whether exceptional circumstances exist in this instance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30666/17]

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 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.

Bus Éireann generally review school transport services over the summer months and bus timetables and routes may be altered, for the following school year, to reflect changes in the number and location of children who are eligible for school transport.

My Department has requested a report on the proposed operational changes on the bus service in question from Bus Éireann.