Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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463. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department and-or the relevant body under her aegis will review the circumstances of a number of children from an area (details supplied); if her attention has been drawn to the fact that requesting these students to pursue numerous appeals for entry to the school causes an inordinate amount of work for all parties involved given the likelihood that children from the area are more likely to attend Naas, County Kildare; if the regulation pertaining to the constant refusal of these children's applications can be reviewed, with particular reference to the annual problems presented due to lack of support from the school transport section on this matter; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8258/22]

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.

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 do not qualify for school transport based on the eligibility criteria may apply for transport on a concessionary basis only and may be facilitated where spare seats are available after children who are deemed eligible have been accommodated. Where the number of applications for travel on a concessionary basis exceeds the number of spare seats available Bus Éireann allocates tickets for the spare seats using an agreed selection process.

Bus Éireann has advised that, generally, pupils residing in the area referred to by the Deputy are not eligible for transport to the school referred to by the Deputy as they reside closer to other post primary schools. Bus Éireann has also advised that there is currently no mainstream school transport services available from the area referred to by the Deputy to the school in Naas, County Kildare referred to by the Deputy.

In cases where the Department is satisfied that the nearest school is full, eligibility for school transport will be determined based on the distance the pupil resides from their next nearest school having regard to ethos and language. If a family requires further information in regard to the closest school being full they should contact School Transport Section of my Department at school_transport@education.gov.ie