Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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350. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position in relation to school transport provision for siblings (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31234/20]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. 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 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.

Under the terms of the Primary School Transport Scheme, children are eligible for school transport where they reside not less than 3.2kms from and are attending their nearest Primary School as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.

All children who are eligible for school transport and who completed the application and payment process on time have been accommodated on school transport services for the 2020/21 school year where such services are in operation. The closing date for payment for the 2020/2021 school year was Tuesday 4th August 2020.

Children who apply for transport but who are not eligible under the terms of the scheme are considered for spare seats that may exist after eligible children have been facilitated; such seats are referred to as concessionary seats.

Concessionary transport may vary from year to year and cannot be guaranteed for the duration of a child’s primary school education cycle. Where the number of ineligible children exceeds the number of spare seats available Bus Éireann allocates tickets for the spare seats using an agreed selection process.

Bus Eireann has confirmed that the children to whom the Deputy refers reside 0.9kms from their nearest primary school and are therefore not eligible under the terms of the scheme. Bus Éireann has also confirmed that payment for school transport for the 2020/2021 school year was received by the family in question on 8th September 2020 and that the service was operating to capacity when payment was made. A refund will issue to the family in the coming weeks.