Written answers

Tuesday, 21 May 2019

Department of Education and Skills

School Transport Administration

Photo of Timmy DooleyTimmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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235. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the way a conclusion has been reached that Quin, County Clare is closer to Ennis than Tulla, County Clare for the purposes of school transport; the details of same; the route measured; the particular points from which the measurements were taken; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21395/19]

Photo of John HalliganJohn 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.

In general, children are eligible for school transport where they meet the distance criteria and are attending their nearest school.

Bus Éireann determines distance eligibility by measuring the shortest traversable route, which may be either pedestrian or vehicular from a family's home to their nearest school.

The terms of the scheme are applied equitably on a national basis.

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