Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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202. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if extending the remit of the family support allocated to a family (details supplied) in County Dublin to address the difficulties encountered in accessing additional supports which are necessary will be considered. [30112/18]

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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210. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the difficulties encountered by a person (details supplied) in County Dublin in accessing supports to school transport; and if the supports will be allocated. [30130/18]

John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 202 and 210 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.

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.

Children are generally eligible for school transport if they satisfy the distance criteria and are attending their nearest school having regard to language and ethos.

Should the Deputy wish to provide more detailed information on the family in question my Department will request a report from Bus Éireann regarding their eligibility for school transport and the availability of school transport services.

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