Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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955. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a student (details supplied) in County Kerry will be made eligible for school transport following the determination of a section 29 appeal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18557/21]

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 current school year over 114,100 children, including over 14,700 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 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.

This family referred to by the Deputy reside 22.10km from home to their closest school and 29.2km from home to their second nearest school and school of attendance. This family were previously deemed to be not eligible for transport as the pupil was not attending their nearest school. However, with the introduction of social distancing and an additional bus added to the route, the family in question have to date been catered for on a concessionary basis on a service from 19th October 2020.

Based on the additional information received regarding the families appeal under Section 29, Bus Éireann have now been instructed to consider this family as eligible on their system to their school of attendance as their closest school was full at time of enrolment and was unable to accommodate the pupil. The family will be contacted directly in this regard.