Vol. 466 No. 1
156 Miss M. Wallace asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the difficulty frequently faced by many parents with children with disabilities in meeting the costs of transporting their children to school when the normal school transport system is not available; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10997/96]
My Department is aware of the difficulties faced by parents of children with disabilities in meeting school transport costs.
Where such children cannot be accommodated on the normal network of school transport, my Department may allow the payment of a medical grant towards the cost of private transport arrangements.
The grant, which is paid at the end of each school year, is based on maximum attendance, and the amount payable is based on the distance from the child's home to the school or the pick-up point, as appropriate.
I have secured substantial improvements in the level of these grants which took effect from the start of the current school year, and I am satisfied that these increased grants will go a long way towards alleviating the difficulties experienced by the parents involved.
