Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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839. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to consider providing transport for children attending a school (details supplied), given that the relocation of the school from Citywest to Newcastle is causing transport issues for families and in light of full subscription in local schools to Citywest; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45752/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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In September 2025, Rathcoole ETNS moved to modular accommodation on a site in Newcastle. The school was previously located in interim accommodation on a school campus site in Citywest, Dublin. Bus transport had been provided for the school to this location by the Planning and Building Unit as a private arrangement. The reason transport was provided to this interim accommodation site in Citywest is because it was located outside of the School Planning Area.

In advance of the school’s move to the site in Newcastle, the Department advised the school and patron body that the private bus transport arrangement would not be provided to the Newcastle site as this site is now within the School Planning Area and families should apply for school transport under the School Transport Scheme.

Under the terms of the Primary School Transport scheme, 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 as determined by the department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.

Eligible children who complete the application process and pay or enter their medical card details on time will get a seat on a school bus service, if a service is available.

Children who are not eligible for school transport but complete the application and pay or enter their medical card details on time will be considered for any spare seats available after eligible children have been accommodated. These spare seats are called concessionary seats.

There may be more demand than availability for concessionary seats. In such cases, Bus Éireann will use a selection process to allocate tickets for the spare seats.

Bus Éireann is responsible for the planning and timetabling of school transport routes. Bus Éireann endeavours, within available resources, to ensure that each eligible child has a reasonable level of school transport service in the context of the Scheme nationally.

Bus Éireann has advised that the new location of Rathcoole ETNS has been updated on their system and they completed the re-assessment of all new applications to this school for the 2025/26 school year.

The deadline date for applying and paying for school transport services for the 2025/26 school year has now closed and Bus Éireann have assigned tickets to eligible students based on eligibility criteria within the school transport scheme. Families who were unsuccessful in obtaining a seat will be notified via email and a refund will issue.

In cases where families have applied to attend their nearest schools with regard to ethos and language, and have been advised by the school authorities that these schools are full, the Department will consider if the pupil is eligible to the next nearest school.

While the closest school(s) may be full to capacity at present, each family must supply the documents mentioned below, to School Transport Section of the Department of Education and Youth.

• an application for enrolment was made within the deadline dates specified by the school(s), and
• a letter from each of the school authorities confirming that the school was full.