Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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297. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a person (details supplied) in County Kildare can avail of assisted transport. [54478/17]

John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
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School transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department.

Currently over 115,000 children, including almost 12,000 children with special educational needs, are being transported in over 4,500 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually.

Under the terms of my Department’s School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs, children are eligible for school transport where they are attending the nearest recognised: mainstream school, special class/special school or a unit, that is or can be resourced, to meet their special educational needs.

The National Council for Special Education through its network of Special Education Needs Organisers (SENOs) acts in an advisory role to my Department on the suitability of placements for children with special educational needs.

The School Transport Section of my Department has no record of an application for special education needs school transport for the pupil, referred to by the Deputy.

The family referred to by the Deputy should liaise with the Special Education Needs Organiser (SENO) should they wish to apply for school transport under the terms of the scheme.