Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy will be aware, school transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current year, more than 121,400 children, including more than 15,500 children with special educational needs, are transported daily to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. The cost in 2021 was €289 million. It is worth noting that in the last number of years, the number of children using the scheme has increased by more than 8,000. In the most recent academic year, capacity was increased to cater for more than 1,500 additional pupils arriving from Ukraine.

Under the terms of the school transport scheme, children are eligible for transport at primary level where they reside not less than 3.2 km from the school they are attending and it is their nearest national school. At post-primary level, they are eligible where they reside not less than 4.8 km from the post-primary school or education centre they are attending and it is the nearest post-primary school or education centre. Distance is determined by the Department and Bus Éireann and rules have regard to ethos and language.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Department commenced a review of the school transport scheme in February 2021. The review is being conducted with a view to examining the current scheme and how it currently operates, its broader effectiveness and sustainability and that it is adequately supportive of the provision of service to students and their families. The review encompasses the school transport scheme for children with special educational needs. The review of the primary and post-primary school transport schemes examines how the schemes currently operate, including eligibility criteria, trends, costs, cost drivers and overall effectiveness in meeting the objectives of the scheme. The review also examines the potential for integration of different strands of the scheme in a more co-ordinated approach with other Departments that use transport services.

Following commencement of this review, the steering group presented me with an initial interim report. Following consideration of this report, I approved the extension of temporary alleviation measures for the 2021-22 school year for transport for post-primary students who were otherwise eligible for school transport but were attending their second nearest school. Wider considerations regarding the operation of the scheme are now taking place in the next phase of the review, which is under way. A number of meetings have been convened and a number of discussions have taken place. Decisions with regard to measures for the 2022-23 school year will be made shortly.

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