Written answers

Tuesday, 22 September 2020

Department of Education and Skills

School Transport

Photo of Róisín ShortallRóisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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440. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if an issue with school transport for a child (details supplied) in Dublin 11 will be addressed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25047/20]

Photo of Norma FoleyNorma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the 2019/20 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 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 €219m in 2019.

The purpose of the School Transport Scheme for children with Special Educational Needs is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children with special educational needs arising from a diagnosed disability

Bus Éireann is responsible for the planning and timetabling of school transport routes. Bus Éireann endeavours, within available resources, to ensure that each eligible child has a reasonable level of school transport service.

While the transport request referred to by the Deputy is generally outside the terms of the school transport scheme such requests are considered where there is no inconvenience to other pupils, where there are no health & safety concerns, where it is a regular arrangement and where there is no alteration or deviation to the route.

I am pleased to advise that transport request that has been received to the afterschool can be accommodated under the terms noted above. Bus Éireann is currently liaising with the school authorities and the family in relation to the arrangements.

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