Tom Neville (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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89. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if Bus Éireann will consider changing the existing pick-up point at Inch Church car park of students from Annascaul, County Kerry, that are attending a school (details supplied) to Annascaul village as requested by parents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45444/17]

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.

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.

Bus Éireann has advised that the children in question are not eligible for school transport as they are not attending their nearest school.

Children who are not eligible for school transport may apply for transport on a concessionary basis only which is subject to a number of conditions including the availability of spare seats on an existing service and payment of the annual charge.

Under the terms of the School Transport Schemes routes will not be extended or altered to cater for children travelling on a concessionary basis.

Accordingly, the request to change the existing pick up point cannot be considered as the children in question are not eligible for school transport.

The terms of the School Transport Scheme are applied equitably on a national basis.