Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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709. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will consider an application by a person (details supplied) for a school bus place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63099/21]

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 121,400 children, including over 15,500 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 €289m in 2021.

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.

Children who  are not eligible but who apply for school transport may be considered for spare seats that exist after eligible children have been facilitated; such seats are referred to as concessionary seats.

Bus Éireann has advised that they are not in receipt of an application for School Transport for the pupil referred to by the Deputy.

Bus Éireann has also advised that, based on the address details provided, if an application was made for school transport from this address, the eligibility criteria would not be met as the school mentioned is not the nearest school.  All services from this area to the pupils school of attendance are currently operating at full capacity.