Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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300. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if employment terms and conditions for school bus escorts will be reviewed to allow for pay during school holidays; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34061/21]

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. 

A circular (0024/2021) was recently published which outlined changes to the way that school bus escorts are paid their holiday pay. The hourly rates paid to bus escorts have heretofore included an element in respect of annual leave.  This practice is known as “rolled-up holiday pay”.  The effect of Circular 0024/2021 is to cease the practice of paying “rolled-up holiday pay” to such staff and to introduce a separate payment in respect of holiday pay.  This change is being made with effect from the commencement of the 2021/2022 academic year, to bring the method of remunerating such staff into line with the European Union Working Time Directive, following a decision of the European Commission.

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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301. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the school bus route for a school (details supplied) will be redirected to facilitate children in Borrisnafarney, Moneygall and Roscrea, County Tipperary, thus following its original bus route; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34065/21]

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.

Under the terms of my Department’s School Transport Scheme, children are eligible for transport where they reside not less than 3.2kms at primary and 4.8kms at post-primary and are attending their nearest School/Education Centre as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.  

All children who are eligible for school transport and who complete the application and payment process on time will be accommodated on school transport services for the 2021/22 school year where such services are in operation. 

Children who are not eligible for school transport may apply for transport on a concessionary basis only.  Concessionary transport is subject to a number of terms and conditions including the availability of spare seats on an existing service. The availability of concessionary transport may vary from year to year and cannot be guaranteed for the duration of a child’s education cycle. 

Bus Éireann is responsible for the planning and timetabling of school transport routes. Routes are planned and updated over the summer months on the basis of the locations of children who are eligible for school transport.  Bus Éireann endeavours, within available resources, to ensure that each eligible child has a reasonable level of school transport service in the context of the Scheme nationally.   

School Transport Section has sought additional information from the Deputy's office with regard to the families referred to in his request and are liaising wtih Bus Éireann in this regard. School Transport Section will revert to the Deputy directly when further information has been received from Bus Éireann.