Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 2: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the sanctioning of special needs transport by a special education needs organiser is subject to the limitations of the National Council for Special Education Circular reference number NCSE 03/08, whereby health care professionals cannot identify a quantum of education supports and resources for a child with special educational needs when such professionals recommend that a child be enrolled in a special school in agreement with the parents and that school is located further away than the school recommended by a SENO as being capable of meeting the needs of the child despite professional reports to the contrary. [35172/11]

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Under the terms of the school transport scheme of the Department of Education and Skills, a pupil with special educational needs is eligible for school transport if he or she is attending the nearest recognised mainstream school, special class, special school or unit that is or can be resourced to meet the child's special educational needs under the Department's criteria. To date, the process of identifying such a school has involved the National Council for Special Education, which advises on this matter. Circular NCSE 03/08 provides that responsibility for deciding on the quantum of educational supports and resources to be allocated to individual schools or individual children lies with the council through its special education needs organisers. Health service staff do not have any responsibility for the allocation of educational resources or supports to schools or individual children. Transport is provided following receipt of advice from the National Council for Special Education in relation to the relevant school. The Department and the council intend to bring greater clarity and transparency to the process of identifying the nearest school. A code of practice to provide guidance on this issue will be prepared with the assistance of the council's consultative forum in the coming months.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome the Minister of State's statement that the Department will clearly explain to parents how decisions on schools are made in these circumstances. I became aware of this issue when the case of a six year old girl was brought to my attention. She has autism, a rare chromosome disorder, fluid on her spine, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, limited speech and a hole in her heart. She was in a school but it was recommended that she should go to a different school. The people who made the recommendation said that the school in question was the best school for her. The nearest school is not necessarily the best school for this child. Who will parents listen to in such circumstances? Will they listen to the health professionals they have been working with or to special education needs organisers they have probably never met? That is part of the difficulty with regard to these decisions. My question relates to cases of this nature. How can the Minister of State explain the approach that is being taken to the mother of the girl I have mentioned? A bus goes past this woman's house. She has to travel 32,600 km per annum. The system is not clear to me or to parents, many of whom are working within the system itself. We are relying on special education needs organisers whose backgrounds might not be as informed as those of other professionals. I refer to the psychologists etc. who made the original recommendations. That is the difficulty. We really need to sort it out. The Minister of State is probably aware of many cases of this nature.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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If the Deputy wants to pass on the details of the individual case he has mentioned, I will undertake to explore it further with him. Special education needs organisers have expertise in providing special education and assigning special educational supports to individual children on the basis of their unique individual needs. The policy we operate is that transport shall be provided to a centre that is, or can be, resourced to meet the special educational needs of the child. Such a decision is based on the opinion of a person who is professionally qualified to make such an assessment. I agree with the Deputy that there has been a lack of clarity and transparency with regard to this process. That is why we have undertaken to put a code of practice in place that can be easily understood by education professionals, by those involved in education and by parents and families. We must bear in mind that at a time when I am challenged to find €17 million in savings across school transport over the next three years, we need to make the best possible use of the scarce resources we have. The average cost of school transport for a child without special educational needs is approximately €1,000 per annum while the cost for a child with special educational needs is of the order of €7,000 to €9,000, depending on his or her unique requirements. We must be careful not to over-extend ourselves by bringing children to centres which are further away than centres closer to home which are well capable of meeting their needs. If there is a bus passing by the door, there is an opportunity to get on it if there is space available. Perhaps the Deputy will speak about the child in question.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome that because parents believe the reason they must go to local schools is purely on budgetary grounds. It is does not make sense if there is a bus going by which has space on it. In this case, the parent is a single parent but she is committed to that child, as are all such parents. Those parents will travel to the ends of the earth if they believe it is the best school for their child. The Minister of State is in a difficult situation in regard to this matter but the information needs to be made available to parents.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I will undertake to examine that case personally.