Seanad debates
Tuesday, 14 May 2024
Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters
School Transport
1:00 pm
Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins, for attending to deal with this issue on behalf of the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley. He will be very aware that the Minister initiated the first large-scale review of the school transport scheme since it was established in 1967 and that the report on the review, School Transport 2030, was published on 27 February. It is very ambitious. In it, the Government refers to increasing the number of students who use public school transport by 100,000 from about 161,000 at present. The number has been increasing year on year. New pilot projects are planned for this September, which is very welcome. The projects will work around the new rules that are planned.As the Minister of State is aware, at present students automatically get a school bus ticket only if they are going to the nearest school. The recommendation in this report is to remove the requirement relating to the nearest school. Obviously, it is welcome that the Minister, Deputy Foley, has accepted that.
The Minister met with a group of parents, along with Councillor Pip Breen and I, late last year and she gave very generously of her time. These parents represent students in the middle of north Wexford, in areas like Oulart, the Ballagh, Ballyedmond, Boolavogue, Ballygarrett and Monamolin. At present, these parents either have to privately arrange a bus to bring their children to school in Gorey predominantly, but also in Wexford town or Enniscorthy, or drive those distances. While Coláiste an Átha in Kilmuckridge is a good, local school, it is a small school and we are talking about 191 students. Even if all 191 students suddenly tried to be accommodated in Coláiste an Átha, it would not be possible. There are a variety of reasons that more than 190 students travel to schools in Gorey, Wexford town and Enniscorthy.
For quite some time, we have been seeking to have one of the pilots to be established this year operate from that area to service the needs of those children. The children have all registered. The portal, as the Minister of State knows, closed on 26 April. There were more than 190 students from these areas who registered with the Bus Éireann portal. They would much rather be in a situation where they can use a school bus to go to school. I hope the Minister of State will be able to outline today the plan as to how these pilots projects will be selected between now and September and whether there are any other plans with regard to implementing the findings within the School Transport 2030 report.
Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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On behalf of the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, I wish to thank Senator Byrne for raising this matter today. Before I address the specific issue raised, I will provide an outline of the extent of the school transport scheme. The school transport scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year, more than 161,600 children, including in excess of 135,000 pupils travelling on primary and post-primary services, 19,800 pupils with special educational needs and 6,800 pupils who have arrived in Ireland from Ukraine, are transported on daily to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. The total cost of the scheme in 2023 was €382 million.
Under the current terms of the scheme, children are eligible for transport at primary level where they attend their nearest national school and reside not less than 3.2 km from it. At post-primary level, they are eligible if they are attending their nearest post-primary school or education centre and reside not less than 4.8 km from it, as determined by the Department and Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language. Children who do not meet these criteria are deemed not eligible, otherwise known as concessionary applicants, and are allocated a ticket based on the availability of a seat when all eligible children have been catered for.
The school transport scheme is of huge importance to families and there has been a significant amount of change in this country since the scheme was initially established. The School Transport 2030 report has now been published. It marks the largest review of the school transport scheme since it was established in 1967. The Government is committed to working to achieve the report’s recommendation of expanding access to the scheme in order that an additional 100,000 pupils can be carried by 2030. Throughout the review, the value of the school transport scheme to families and in supporting wider Government policies has been apparent. School transport not only plays an important part in supporting children's access to education; it also aligns to wider Government objectives. Overall, the recommended changes to the future operation of the scheme concern the expansion of the current eligibility criteria, addressing current operational challenges, charges and grants and, over time, moving towards better integration with public transport to ensure the best value for money to the Exchequer.A phased implementation of the review's recommendations will begin in September 2024. This will include a shared effort between the Department of Education and the Department of Transport to pilot and introduce greater integration of transport networks with school transport routes. I envisage that over time this will lead to expanding the provision of transport and reducing the reliance on individual car trips for school journeys.
The planned pilot projects in the 2024-25 school year will provide a valuable insight into the impact on the scheme of increased demand, the possibilities to integrate public transport services with school transport services and the possibilities to facilitate more sustainable modes of transport. These impacts will be fully assessed and costed as required. The projects will evaluate and assess the scale of planning and implementation required for a national roll-out of a revised school transport scheme. As part of this, they will include the integration of public transport and school transport services. The school transport scheme and public transport integration project is a joint effort between the Department of Education and the Department of Transport, supported by the National Transport Authority and Bus Éireann. Details of the areas to be included in the pilot scheme will be available shortly. Families residing in the pilot scheme areas will be communicated with separately regarding the pilot schemes, how they should apply and to inform them what the changes will mean for the 2024-25 school year.
Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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Before I bring Senator Byrne in for his supplementary question, I welcome a very good friend and guest of Senator Aidan Davitt to the House, Emmet Creighton. I believe heartiest congratulations are due to Mr. Creighton on the birth of his new baby. Congratulations from us all here in the Seanad. We hope you have a wonderful day. We are doing Commencement matters, which provide an opportunity for Senators to raise issues they feel strongly about. I hope you enjoy your day in Leinster House. You are with a very good colleague.
Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach Gníomhach.
I thank the Minister of State for the response. I guess what I was hoping to hear within it would be more details around the planned pilot scheme. Where the Department states details to the areas to be included will be available shortly, what is defined by "shortly"? Are we to expect this within the next couple of weeks? What are the criteria that will be used to determine what are the pilot schemes to be selected?
It is my view that the group that I mentioned in Wexford, and whom the Minister had met, would be ideal for a pilot scheme because we are talking about over 190 children. It fits perfectly within what is recommended in the school transport scheme 2030 report.
However, I am concerned that we are not seeing the detail now as to how the pilot schemes will operate. The Minister of State will appreciate that it is now May. It will be important for any of the parents to know as soon as possible as to when these pilot schemes will commence and I would be grateful if the Minister of State could clarify that.
Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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Unfortunately, I am not able to give the Senator absolute clarity on when they will commence, but I envisage that it will have to be within a matter of a short number of weeks because, as the Senator rightly pointed out, we are into May and shortly will be into June and people are looking to the next school year, which is 2024-25. I will communicate, both to Bus Éireann and to the Department, the Senator's concern about the urgency of the matter.