Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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407. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will investigate the ongoing dispute between Bus Éireann and the family of a child (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39958/20]

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.

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.

Children who apply for transport and 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.

Bus Éireann has confirmed that the pupil to whom the Deputy refers is not attending their nearest post primary school and is therefore not eligible for school transport under the terms of the scheme.

Bus Éireann has also confirmed that a school transport application was received for this pupil on 11/08/2020 for the 2020/21 school year and as such was a late application and that no payment for transport was received for this pupil.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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408. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when parents can expect to receive payments under the school transport grant. [40026/20]

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 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.

Special Transport Grants under the terms of the School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs are processed throughout the year as and when they are received in the School Transport Section with the majority of grants being paid during the summer months.

With regard to transport grants for the Summer 2020 Programme, my Department committed to providing grant funding to support families with the cost of transport arrangements for those children who were eligible for school transport and who were approved to participate in the school based Summer Programme.

Schools were required to identify children who availed of a School Transport service or who were in receipt of a grant. School Transport Section issued correspondence to schools outlining what was required in order to process such payments.

School Transport Section has commenced processing payment of these grants to families who are eligible and payments will continue to be processed in the coming weeks.