asked the Minister for Education the school transport arrangements which will be made for the child of a person (details supplied) in County Galway.
Written Answers - School Transport.
206.
In seeking to cater for individual children who require transport facilities to centres of special education, my Department investigates the possibility of extending existing school transport routes for them. In the case of the child referred to by the Deputy, a special contract service involving 66 miles per day would be required, and it would not be open to the Department to sanction such a service, because of the high cost involved.
The Department has offered an annual grant towards defraying the cost incurred by the parents in providing private transport for the child.
207.
asked the Minister for Education if she will reconsider providing transport for a person (details supplied) in County Cork in order that he can attend a special school; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that he is a spastic child and cannot avail of public transport; and if her attention has further been drawn to the severe hardship being imposed on this family because of the delay in having a fair decision made.
In seeking to cater for individual pupils such as the child in question here, my Department investigates the possibility of extending existing transport routes to facilitate the child. However, in this case, a total daily extension of 60 miles would be required and this was not a feasible proposition. Also, the cost involved would be outside the financial limits for individual cases within which my Department must operate. Boarding facilities with week-end travel are available but these facilities are not acceptable to the parents. The child's parent has been offered a grant of up to £600 to be paid at the end of the current school year to assist in the cost of providing private transport for him.