Written answers
Wednesday, 9 October 2019
Department of Education and Skills
School Transport Provision
Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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57. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when school transport will be approved and in place for a child (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41205/19]
John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
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School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department.
In the 2018/2019 school year over 117,500 children, including over 13,000 children with special educational needs, were transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost of over €200m in 2018.
The child referred to by the Deputy is eligible for school transport under the terms of my Department's School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs.
Bus Éireann has been requested to organise a transport service for this child and they have been requested to liaise directly with the family in this regard. In the meantime, the family may avail of the Special Transport Grant towards the cost of providing private transport until this service is established.
The terms of the School Transport Schemes are applied equitably on a national basis.
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