Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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135. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if officials of her Department will engage with Bus Éireann in relation to an altered school bus route (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4647/22]

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.

Bus Éireann is responsible for the planning and timetabling of school transport routes and 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.

Following a review of the service mentioned by the Deputy, Bus Éireann have advised that it is currently tendering for a new service to facilitate revised arrangements on this service.

These pupils reside 2.6 km from home to their current pick up point and are currently receiving transport within guidelines to a pick up point as set out in the rules of the Post Primary School Transport scheme. Home pick-ups are not a feature of the School Transport Schemes.

If the family in question require any further information they can contact School Transport Section of my Department. Information in this regard is available on my Department's website www.education.ie.