Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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204. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 457 of 6 September 2019, if school transport will be provided to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43287/19]

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 purpose of the 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. Under the terms of my Department's Post Primary School Transport Scheme children are eligible for school transport where they reside not less than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest education centre as determined by my Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.

Bus Éireann has advised that the child referred to by the Deputy is attending his nearest school but was deemed ineligible in error, this  has now been rectified. Bus Éireann has confirmed that they will liaise directly with the family to inform them how they can proceed with their application and in regard to transport arrangements for the child.