Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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279. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the date upon which parents will be informed of the decision on school transport for the 2017-18 academic year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33747/17]

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.

In general, children who are eligible for school transport for the 2017/18 school year will be issued with tickets when they submit their payment details to Bus Éireann.

Children who are not eligible for school transport and who have applied for transport on a concessionary basis will only be issued with tickets where there are spare seats available after all eligible children have been accommodated.