Mary Moran (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I want to make a few points. Will the Minister explain what comes under the miscellaneous category on the appropriations-in-aid page? There is €6.1 million, €6.2 million and €6.4 million in the miscellaneous column. Also, regarding secondments and overpayments, are there many overpayments? What happens in that respect?

My next question is for the Minister of State, Deputy English. Senator Moloney raised the question of a bus being supplied for ten students but not for nine. With regard to transport to special education schools, my office raised a particular case with the Minister this year about a child who was looking for transport to a special education school. A bus drove past that house with another child attending a special education school but this child was not entitled to that transport and had to pay the concessionary fee of €100. I still have not got an explanation of the logic behind the reason a bus could take one child and not the other.

I understand the criteria, and I may be going a little off-point, but when it comes down to the choice of a school for a child wishing to attend a special education school, an issue on which I have had many dealings, often the choice comes down to the school the special education needs organiser, SENO, recommends. The person who knows the child with special educational needs best is the parent, and often parents would like their child to attend a school half a mile in the other direction or a little further. If they attend the school the SENO recommends they get the transport but if they do not, they have to pay for it themselves. Is there any way this problem could be examined and addressed? I have brought up with the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA, the question of who determines that. Sometimes they talk about the SENOs. Despite what is said, SENOs do not always see the child and I do not understand how people can make decisions about where a child can attend school without even meeting the child. That is very important in terms of the transport because it causes huge headaches. This year, despite the improvements, I cannot give parents an answer to the reason one child with special needs was allowed to get free transport when the child who lives three doors up the road attending the same school had to pay €100 concessionary fee.