Skip to main content
Normal View

School Transport

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 July 2020

Tuesday, 7 July 2020

Questions (408, 412, 413, 442)

Fergus O'Dowd

Question:

408. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will make amendments to the retrospective transport scheme for low-income families whose children are accessing summer provision in special schools (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14006/20]

View answer

Cathal Crowe

Question:

412. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will consider transport options for those availing of July provision as a matter of urgency in view of the fact parents are under significant strain (details supplied). [14018/20]

View answer

Joe O'Brien

Question:

413. Deputy Joe O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if her attention has been drawn to the fact that her Department has indicated that it is unable to provide school transport for the July provision of a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14021/20]

View answer

Catherine Connolly

Question:

442. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Skills if bus transport will be provided for the students participating in the July provision programme in a school (details supplied) in circumstances in which all steps have been taken to ensure maximum participation in the programme, including safe bus transport plans which have been agreed with bus escorts, drivers and bus contractors; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14253/20]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 408, 412, 413 and 442 together.

School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education and Skills.

The purpose of my Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school.

In the 2019/20 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, were transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost of over €219m in 2019.

With regard to transport arrangements for the July Programme my Department will provide grant funding to support parents with the cost of transport arrangements for those children who are eligible for school transport and who have been approved to participate in the school based July Programme.

Schools are required to identify children who are on a School Transport service or who are in receipt of a grant. School Transport Section will be in contact with schools and families in regard to the arrangements for payment.

Grant payment is based on the distance that a family reside from their child’s school of attendance. The calculation is based on four trips per day (home to school and school to home, morning and afternoon) multiplied by the number of days a child attends school for the programme. The current rate of grant is 39.12 cent per kilometre for the first 6,437 kilometres travelled and 21.22 per kilometre for each kilometre travelled thereafter.

Top
Share