Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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397. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of second level pupils granted school transport on the grounds of ethos of the school they are attending. [38117/17]

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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398. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of second level pupils who may have been refused school transport on grounds of the ethos of the school they are attending. [38118/17]

John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 397 and 398 together.

School transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department.

During the 2016/17 school year almost 116,000 children, including some 12,000 children with special educational needs, were 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 are eligible for school transport if they satisfy the distance criteria and are attending their nearest school.

In relation to school transport provision, ethos relates to religious ethos and is in the context of provision for minority religions.

The information requested is not available as it is not collected during the application process.