Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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332. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of a transport grant for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37308/17]

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 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.

Under the terms of the Department's Primary School Transport Scheme children are generally eligible for transport where they reside not less than 3.2 kilometres from and are attending their nearest national school.

Children who are eligible for school transport but for whom no transport service is available may, following an application for transport within prescribed time limits, receive a Remote Area Grant towards the cost of private transport arrangements.

The family in question were late in submitting their application for school transport for the 2016/17 school year and therefore can only claim the grant from the beginning of the 2017/18 school year.

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