Vol. 460 No. 3
323 Mr. Martin asked the Minister for Education if she will provide the necessary resources to St. Joseph's School for Blind Boys, Drumcondra, Dublin 9, to ensure that children travelling home on open weekends are accompanied to Heuston Station on Friday evenings from the school and collected from Heuston Station on Sunday evenings by school staff. [19285/96]
324 Mr. Martin asked the Minister for Education if she will provide the necessary resources to St. Joseph's School for Blind Boys, Drumcondra, Dublin 9, to provide a social worker to accompany the children home from Dublin at official breaks such as Christmas, Easter and Summer, and to accompany them back after the break. [19286/96]
I propose to answer Questions Nos. 323 and 324 together. I understand that arrangements have already been put in place by the school authorities to ensure that children who have not passed a mobility test and travel home on open weekends are accompanied to train and bus stations.
I am also pleased to inform the Deputy that I recently allocated a sum of £25,000 towards the cost of engaging suitable escorts of pupils attending the special schools for hearing and visually-impaired children who travel long distances on public transport at weekends. St. Joseph's School for Blind Boys was included in this allocation and received a sum of £3,200.
