Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

166. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 425 of 5 February 2025, if she will address the matter of after-school services not furnished in the reply (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5071/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As previously advised, 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 Éireann endeavours to ensure that a reasonable level of transport service is provided for each eligible child.

The School Transport Schemes are intended to cater for children providing school transport from home to school and from school to home during normal school opening and closing times.

Bus Éireann will try to facilitate requests for set down at addresses other than the child’s home address provided the alternate address is on the route of the existing service and the arrangements are the same throughout the school year.

However, in general, it is not possible to facilitate atypical school transport arrangements which involve additional mileage, inconvenience to other children on the service or additional cost to the State.

Grants are not provided to facilitate bus transport outside of the school transport schemes. The request detailed by the Deputy is not a feature of the schemes and is outside of the School Transport remit.