Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein)
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421. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the provision being made for school transport to convey children with disabilities and special needs to preschools that have the capacity and trained staff to cater for them in cases in which such facilities do not exist in the towns in which they reside. [25431/18]

Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein)
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422. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if transport or assistance towards transport for three children with special needs and disabilities will be provided (details supplied). [25432/18]

John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 421 and 422 together.

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

Currently over 116,000 children, including over 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 at a total cost of almost €190 million in 2017.

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.

Eligibility is determined following consultation with the National Council for Special Education through its network of Special Education Needs Organisers.

The pre-school referred to by the Deputy is not a recognised school and is not funded by my Department, therefore the children in question are not eligible for school transport under the terms of the above scheme.

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