Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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186. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his policy on the provision of places on school bus services by lottery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20748/19]

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

There are currently over 117,500 children, including over 13,000 children with special educational needs, transported in over 5,000 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.

Children are generally eligible for school transport if they satisfy the distance criteria and are attending their nearest school.

Children who are eligible for school transport and who complete the application process on time will be accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation for the 2019/20 school year.

Children who are not eligible for school transport may apply for transport on a concessionary basis only and will be facilitated where spare seats are available after eligible children have been accommodated. Where the number of ineligible children exceeds the number of spare seats available Bus Éireann will allocate tickets for the spare seats using an agreed selection process, as set out below:

- First priority is given to all existing concessionary applicants (whether they had seats or not in the last school year) who have paid by the deadline date for payments and siblings of these children provided they also have paid by the deadline date.

- Second priority is all new applicants who applied and paid by the deadline dates.

- Finally, all other applicants.

Under the terms of the scheme, routes will not be extended or altered, additional vehicles will not be introduced, nor will larger vehicles or extra trips using existing vehicles be provided to cater for children travelling on a concessionary basis, no additional State cost will be incurred in covering the cost of providing school transport for children who are not eligible.

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

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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187. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to expand the provision of school bus services to a school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20749/19]

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

There are currently over 117,500 children, including over 13,000 children with special educational needs, transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually.

The purpose of the 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.

Children who are eligible for school transport and who complete the application process on time will be accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation for the 2019/20 school year.

Bus Éireann is currently considering applications for the 2019/20 school year. The number and size of buses operating for the 2019/20 school year will be determined by the number of children who apply and are deemed eligible for school transport.

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