Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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340. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the amount provided through the interim special transport grant to parents or individuals who have to access private school transport from 2021 to date; if the amounts can be provided on a county-by-county basis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42658/24]

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 2023/24 school year over 163,800 children, including over 136,000 pupils travelling on primary and post primary services, 20,200 pupils with special educational needs, and 7,400 pupils who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country.

The total cost of the scheme in 2023 was €382.02m.

Over 140,000 mainstream tickets have issued for the 2024/2025 school year, which is already 3% more than the total tickets issued for the full 2023/2024 school year.

In some circumstances a parent/guardian may be eligible for a Special Transport Grant (STG) toward the cost of private transport arrangements.

The Special Transport Grant (STG) may be provided to families of eligible children or young people in on either an interim or full time basis in situations where:

• Bus Éireann is not able to provide a transport service and a family is waiting on the commencement of the service
• a child's or young person’s behavioural difficulties or medical needs are such as to make the provision of a transport service unsuitable.
• an escort is considered necessary, and the provision of such support is not available.
• the cost of establishing/maintaining a service is considered prohibitive.