Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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193. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of a school transport appeal by a person (details supplied). [46500/19]

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.

The pupil referred to by the Deputy resides 14.5kms from Foxford Post Primary School, his nearest school and 15.4kms from home to his selected school, St Tiernan's College. Bus Eireann have advised that no application for School Transport has been received for the pupil for the 2019/20 school year but that there is spare capacity on the service that operates to St Tiernan's College.

The Deputy also refers to the Remote Area Grant but as the pupil is not attending his nearest school the family are not eligible for this grant.