Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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73. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when a taxi under the school transport scheme will be provided for a person (details supplied) to transport them to and from an ASD unit in a school. [41273/18]

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

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 the 2017/18 school year over 117,000 children, including over 12,000 children with special educational needs, were 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.

Bus Éireann has advised that they are continuing their efforts to establish a suitable transport service for the child in question and I have requested that they liaise directly with the family regarding progress.

In the meantime the family may avail of the Special Transport Grant towards the cost of making private transport arrangements.