Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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703. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will consider introducing an annual schedule of grants and their pay-outs in order to provide schools with more clarity in an often-confusing process that is, the bus escort grant being paid in July, despite schools paying for buses for months in advance of this date. [13162/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year, over 147,900 children, including over 18,000 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country.

In addition, school transport scheme services are being provided in the current school year for over 3,800 children who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine.

The total cost of the scheme in 2022 was €338.9m.

There is a facility within the Special Needs Transport Scheme for the appointment of a School Bus Escort where a child’s care and safety needs while on school transport are such to require the support of an escort. The appointment of the Bus Escort, where required, is sanctioned by the Department of Education and Skills. The school management authority employs the Bus Escort and the terms and conditions of employment are a matter for the school authority as the employer.

The Department of Education provide funding in advance of the school year to the school’s Management Authority for the employment of a school bus escort.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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704. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a child (details supplied) in County Mayo is being refused school transport in view of the fact that there is no school transport service to this child's nearest school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13176/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year, over 147,900 children, including over 18,000 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country.

In addition, school transport scheme services are being provided in the current school year for over 3,800 children who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine.

The total cost of the scheme in 2022 was €338.9m.

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 Eireann have confirmed that the pupil to whom the Deputy refers, is not attending his nearest school and is not eligible for school transport. An application for school transport was made on 8th March 2023 for the 2023/2024 school year.

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

Children who are not eligible for school transport, but who complete the application and payment process on time, will be considered for spare seats that may exist after eligible children have been facilitated; such seats are referred to as concessionary seats.

Due to the nature of concessionary transport for non-eligible children and the priority of providing places for eligible children, there may be an excess of demand over supply for concessionary places, in these cases Bus Éireann will allocate tickets for spare seats using a random selection process.

Under the terms of the scheme, the availability of concessionary transport varies from year to year based on the capacity on the buses running on all of the various routes and the number of eligible children accommodated on each route.