Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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396. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if an application for school transport for a case (details supplied) will be considered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14899/23]

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.

As previously advised, in cases where the department is satisfied that a pupil's nearest school is full, eligibility for school transport will be determined based on the distance a pupil lives from the next nearest school in relation to ethos and language.

To establish that the nearest school is full families must provide evidence that an application for enrolment was made within the deadline dates specified by the school, and a letter from the school authorities confirming that the school was full at the time of enrolment.

The family of the pupil to which the Deputy refers contacted School Transport Section in my Department to request School Transport to his school of attendance. Officials from my Department's School Transport Section contacted the three schools in the area in which the pupil resides.

Of the 3 schools the family applied to, only 1 school has advised that the family applied on time and there was no space for the pupil.

As there was capacity in the area to which the pupil resides for the 2022/23 school year, the pupil cannot be deemed as eligible for transport to his school of attendance.