I am aware of the particulars concerning the provision of school transport for the pupil referred to by the Deputy. My Department understood that transport arrangements had been put in place by St. Joseph's national school and that the pupil had been attending school on a regular basis. I understand that this service discontinued on Friday, 9 October and that the pupil in question cannot attend school without an alternative service being put in place.
Wherever possible, my Department sanctions a home pick-up/set-down service for pupils of special classes or special schools. When this is not possible either because of distance or cost, a special transport grant is sanctioned towards the cost of private transport arrangements. I understand that the principal difficulty in this case is that the school bus cannot fit down the road leading to the child's home and her parents are not in a position to bring her to the pick-up point. My Department is currently investigating, with Bus Éireann, what alternatives can be put in place and I am hopeful that a resolution to these transport difficulties will be made in the near future.
