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Gnáthamharc

School Transport

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 23 July 2020

Thursday, 23 July 2020

Ceisteanna (160)

David Stanton

Ceist:

160. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Education and Skills the increased funding made available to provide extra concessionary school transport tickets for the 2019/2020 school year; the number of extra places facilitated by the funding by county; her plans to provide similar funding for the 2020/2021 school year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17775/20]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

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

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 2019/2020 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.

Children who are eligible for school transport and who have completed the application and payment process on time will be accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation.

Children who are not eligible for school transport, but who complete the application and payment process on time, will be considered for spare seats that may exist after eligible children have been facilitated; such seats are referred to as concessionary seats.

In 2019/20 school year temporary alleviation measures to address a shortage of school transport capacity on the post primary scheme were put in place. The cost of these measures was given to those areas where there was a significant concentration of post-primary children who have paid on time for the 2019/2020 school year and who are attending their second closest school.

All school transport services are reviewed over the summer months. Arising from this, routes may be altered, extended or withdrawn depending on the number and location of eligible children who will be availing of school transport for the following school year.

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