Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 27 January 2022
278. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Education if supports are available to assist families whose children have been unable to secure a school place within their locality and as such must incur large financial costs to transport their child to a school outside their locality; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4120/22]
View answer279. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Education if she will consider introducing a financial support to assist families with the cost of school transport in cases which a child has been unable to secure a school placement in or near their locality and as a result must travel long distances to a school outside their locality at great personal financial cost. [4121/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 278 and 279 together.
School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 121,400 children, including over 15,500 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €289m in 2021.
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 general children are eligible for school transport if they meet the distance criteria and are attending their nearest school.
Children who are eligible for school transport and who complete the application process on time are accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation.
Children who are eligible for school transport but for whom no service is available may, following an application process for transport within the prescribed time limits, receive a Remote Area Grant towards the cost of private transport arrangements. The grant amount is distance related and is payable annually at a fixed daily rate (from €1.30 - €5.10 per day), to each eligible family, regardless of the number of children from the same family, travelling to a particular school.
Children who apply but who are not eligible for school transport are considered for spare seats that may exist after eligible children have been facilitated; such seats are referred to as concessionary seats.
In cases where the Department is satisfied that the nearest school is full, eligibility for school transport will be determined based on the distance that children reside from their next nearest school having regard to ethos and language. If a family require further information in regard to the closest school being full they can contact School Transport Section of my Department. Further information in this regard is available on my Department's website www.education.ie.
