Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Department and the Minister will learn a lot from the two pilot schemes. To provide a final context, the most significant change to the current eligibility criteria for the mainstream that will come in 2024-25 will be to reduce the current distance criteria and remove the nearest-school criterion. The proposal over time is to reduce the distance criteria to 1 km from 3.2 km for primary schools and to 2 km from 4.8 km for post-primary schools. All children who meet these criteria will be accommodated on transport where an existing route is in place. Where there is a demand or requirement for a new route to be established, this will be done in consultation with the Department's planning and building unit to determine the area to be served by any such new route. The distance criteria will not apply in towns and cities that are served by public transport because in these cases children will be encouraged to use the public transport that is available. This will also ensure optimum use of vehicles, drivers and Exchequer money.

More critically, the review does not recommend any change to the current eligibility criteria for the school transport scheme for children with special educational needs. The scheme will continue to provide transport for eligible children to the nearest school that is or that can be resourced to meet their special educational needs. This will continue to be determined in consultation with the National Council for Special Education. However, a working group will be established to enable ongoing improvements to be made to the scheme. In the interests of promoting inclusivity, steps will be taken to support children with special educational needs whose parents wish for them to travel on any available mainstream services.

The particular case raised by the Deputy could perhaps be taken up by the Minister to see if something might be done on a practical level to meet the requirements of those involved.

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