Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 July 2021
996. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Education when an application for the school travel allowance will be processed and paid to a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40220/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the 2020/2021 school year over 114,100 children, including over 14,700 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €224.7m in 2020.
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 August 2020, due to the timing of the 50% capacity guidelines that were issued from NPHET with regard to post primary school transport services, the Department issued communications which was made available at gov.ie and circulated via an email from Bus Éireann to families with existing school transport accounts, advising that it was understood that for some parents and children this latest updated advice may have meant that some parents would not wish for their children to use post-primary school transport and may have wished to bring their own child or children to school for the 2020/2021 school year.
It was requested that if families chose not to use school transport that they inform the Department by emailing schooltransportrefunds2020@education.gov.ie by Friday 4th September 2020 and on receipt of this email a refund on the cost of the school bus ticket would be arranged. A grant would be provided to support the cost of transport arrangements for those families who were eligible for transport under the terms of the school transport scheme and whose parents had decided not to use transport for the 2020/2021 school year and had advised the Department as outlined above.
Bus Eireann have advised that the child referred to by the Deputy is eligible for school transport and that an application for transport was received for the 2019/2020 school year. However, no payment/medical card details were received for the 2019/20 school year and no ticket issued. Bus Éireann also advise that this family closed the application for the child referred to on Bus Éireann's system in January 2020 and no application or payment was made for the 2020/2021 school year.
Since an application for the grant was not made for the child referred to by the Deputy by the date issued on the communications note to families, and no application or payment was made for school transport for the 2020/21 school year, the family referred in this case is not eligible for the grant in question.
