Mr. John Kinnane:

I do not have specific information on school transport. Some of the other metrics highlighted on page 17 with respect to the Department of Education and Skills include resource teaching-learning support posts where there was a 14% increase year on year. Likewise, there was an 8% increase year on year in the number of special needs assistants. This feeds into the overall discussion in terms of the spending review process which was carried out last year. A more detailed job of work was done which specifically examined special education and resource teaching.

The performance indicator will not provide the answers by itself, but it provokes discussion. In terms of analysing the spending review process of expenditure across all Government programmes over a three-year period, the idea is that by focusing on performance indicators from the performance report and carrying out further analysis through the spending review process we can address those issues so that at budget time the discussion is based on facts. As the Deputy said, we can determine whether something is fulfilling a demographic need or there are other underlying drivers.

On other areas of expenditure such as social protection, a paper last year looked at the key drivers underpinning growth figures relating to disability allowance. The performance report is one part of a suite of measures which were introduced to try to ensure the whole budgetary discussion is focused on the facts in order to determine whether changes are down to demographics or other drivers are involved and what is driving increased demand for services in certain areas.