Vol. 462 No. 1
79 Mr. T. Foxe asked the Minister for Education the special funding, if any, she will provide for education facilities for deaf children who live more than 20 miles from school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4065/96]
I assume the Deputy is referring to special funding for transport purposes to enable hearing impaired children to attend their school which is more than 20 miles from their homes. Wherever possible, my Department arranges transport for such children on the school transport service. However, in some cases it is simply not possible to provide particular children with school transport due to the excessive costs or distances involved. In such cases my Department offers the alternative of a grant to parents towards the cost of making private transport arrangements. The amount of grant paid in such cases depends on the distance involved and the level of school attendance of the pupil.
The rate of grant payable in such cases has recently been significantly increased. The maximum annual grant per child travelling between 15 and 25 miles to a special school or class now stands at £1,250. The maximum amount payable for distances over 25 miles now stands at £1,500. The maximum grant previously available in respect of all such distances was £600.
