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School Transport

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 14 October 2020

Wednesday, 14 October 2020

Ceisteanna (167)

Gerald Nash

Ceist:

167. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Education the date on which a response will issue to a query (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30435/20]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

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

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.

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. Under the terms of my Department’s School Transport Scheme, children are eligible for transport where they reside not less than 3.2kms at primary and 4.8kms at post-primary and are attending their nearest School/Education Centre as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.

Bus Éireann, which operates the school transport scheme on behalf of my Department, plan bus routes in such a way as to ensure that, as far as possible, children have a reasonable level of service while at the same time, ensuring that school transport vehicles are fully utilised in an efficient and cost effective manner. In this regard school transport services are timetabled to ensure that children arrive before the commencement of the school day and are collected shortly after the finishing time of the standard school day.

Children in infant classes may have a school day that is one hour shorter than the length of the normal school day. This is a concession in the interests of young children and allows for a perceived inability on their part to sustain the work of the full day. It is a matter for the Board of Management of a particular school to decide whether the concession should be applied in the case of the school or not.

It is a matter for the managerial authorities of primary schools to arrange adequate supervision for children while they are on the school premises.

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