Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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273. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will engage with the Minister for Transport to deliver public transport links between Westport and Louisburgh in order to support the student travelling from Westport to attend a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21142/23]

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 4,500 children who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine.

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

Children are eligible for transport at primary level where they reside not less than 3.2 kilometres from and are attending their nearest national school, and at post primary level where they reside not less than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest post primary school/education centre as determined by the department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.

Children who are eligible for school transport and who have completed the application process and proceed to make a payment on time will be accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation for the 2023/24 school year.

The closing date for school transport applications for the 2023/24 school year was Friday, 28th April 2023. The closing date for payments for the 2023/24 school year is 9th June 2023.

Families can still apply for school transport following this date, but if applications are late, a place on a service cannot be guaranteed. Applications are made on the Bus Éireann website at www.buseireann.ie.

A minimum number of 10 eligible children residing in a distinct locality, as determined by Bus Éireann, are required before consideration may be given to the establishment or retention of school transport services.

Children who are not eligible for school transport, but who completed the application process on time, are 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 an agreed selection process.

Where there are already existing routes in place, temporary alleviation measures will be continued for the 2023/24 school year, pending completion of the School Transport Review. This means that transport will be provided for post-primary pupils who are eligible for transport to their nearest school and are attending their second nearest school and who applied by the 28th April 2023 and who complete the payment process by 9th June 2023.

Bus Éireann have advised that the family, referred to by the Deputy, have not submitted an application for School Transport to date.