Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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420. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the payment of a special transport grant for a person (details supplied), which was approved in February 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44667/20]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the current school year over 113,100 children, including over 14,500 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €224.7m in 2020.

The purpose of the Special Educational Needs Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children with special educational needs. Under the terms of the scheme children are eligible for transport where they have special educational needs arising from a diagnosed disability and are attending the nearest recognised mainstream school, special class/special school or unit, that is or can be resourced, to meet their special educational needs.

All eligible children are exempt from school transport charges and a Special Transport Grant towards the cost of private transport arrangements may be provided in certain circumstances.

The child referred to by the Deputy is eligible for and availed of school transport until January 2020 when Bus Éireann notified the Department that the pupil was no longer availing of the service. In February 2020 the parents wrote to the School Transport Section requesting the Special Transport Grant to bring their child to school. This request was subsequently approved by School Transport Section and the parents are eligible for a grant from February 2020. As no statement of attendance has been received with regard to this pupil, a grant payment has not yet issued, however School Transport Section has contacted the parents directly in order to ensure that a grant can issue.