Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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417. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there is any scheme to help support a bus service to a school (details supplied) where a significant number of pupils come a significant distance to school. [51187/22]

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 last school year over 121,400 children, including over 15,500 children with special educational needs, were 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. School transport funded by my Department is intended to cater for children and young person’s attending schools at primary and post primary level.

Under the terms of the School Transport Schemes children are eligible for transport at primary level where they reside not less than 3.2 kms from and are attending their nearest national school, and at post primary level where they reside not less than 4.8 kms from and are attending their nearest post primary school/education centre as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.

Bus Eireann has advised that there is currently no school transport service operating to the school referred to by the Deputy. No applications for transport were received for this school in the 2022/23 school year.