Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

5. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to address concerns that the school transport scheme is not being run on an efficient basis, especially with regard to route selection criteria and criteria for providing a service to students wishing to avail of the scheme on a concessionary basis. [18466/16]

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

School transport is an issue of major concern. My difficulty is there are three different positions on the scheme within the Department. These are outlined in a ministerial briefing, the programme for Government and by a press officer following a major story in the Irish Independent. There is huge confusion among the public. A number of my colleagues, including Deputy Calleary, have been in touch with the Minister of State about particular instances. I would like clarity for families and children who depend on the school bus service.

John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his question. This is a complex issue in the sense that the school transport scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of my Department. Approximately 113,000 children, including 10,000 children with special educational needs, are transported in approximately 4,000 vehicles each school day. The overall costs of the scheme have reduced by 7% since 2008 as a result of policy changes and other efficiencies, and this has had an effect on the scheme. One of its main objectives is to ensure that, as far as possible, eligible children have a reasonable service while, at the same time, ensuring school transport vehicles are fully utilised in an efficient and cost-effective manner. One of the impacts of the policy changes introduced in recent years is that there has been a reduction in the number of eligible pupils availing of school transport places and an increase in the number of pupils availing of places on a concessionary basis. Routes are planned on the basis of the locations of children who are eligible for school transport only.

In general, children are eligible for school transport if they meet the requisite distance criterion and are attending their nearest school having regard to ethos and language.

Children who are not eligible for school transport may avail of school transport on a concessionary basis only; the demand for transport on a concessionary basis is mainly from families whose children who are not attending their nearest school. Transport on a concessionary basis is subject to a number of terms and conditions including that there are spare seats available on an existing school bus service and on payment of the annual charge.

The programme for Government commits to review the concessionary charges and rules element of the school transport scheme prior to budget 2017.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State's answer has not provided any clarity to anybody. I would like him to clarify what is the position. Will students who have concessionary places lose out this September because of the review, or can he give a guarantee to this House that no students with concessionary places will lose out because of the review by his Department, that their place will be available on a concessionary basis as it always has been? That is the commitment we want to hear from him. We want to put at ease the concerns of the parents, in rural Ireland in particular, who are worried about this issue. As the Minister of State will note, a newspaper has run this story on the front page two days in a row and it did that because this issue is a matter of concern as a result of the confusion coming from his Department as to what is happening. The Minister of State needs to do those parents a favour and set out exactly what is happening and confirm that those students with concessionary places will not be subject to a review for this year, and then we will have to deal with what will happen next year. There has been three different stories and I want to know what is the correct story.

John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Deputy is aware that the seats for concessionary applicants are allocated after all eligible children have been accommodated on the school transport service. I accept there are some difficulties with respect to routes, the sizes of buses and so on: of that there is no question. I am inundated with requests for school transport from applicants throughout the country. I give the Deputy a guarantee that no student will lose a seat on the school bus during this term. I have called for the Department to have another review of all aspects of the school transport scheme, concessionary places and otherwise. Nobody will be cut off the school transport scheme in this term, once they are eligible for school transport under the concessionary or the eligibility criteria. There are extreme difficulties, of that there is no question. TDs have contacted me. I have met Bus Éireann and any groups that wanted to meet me and I have spoken to parents. I have met TDs from the Deputy's party. I accept there are compassionate grounds in some instances but every parent wants to obtain school transport to bring their child to school. If people want to come to my office to raise individual cases, they can do so. I can assure the Deputy there will no cuts or changes until another review is carried out by my Department.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I want to clarify with the Minister of State that no students, regardless of their having concessionary places or otherwise, will lose their place on a school bus this September; that they are guaranteed their place on a school bus this September.

John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Once again, I want to be clear on this. Once all eligible children have their place on the school bus on a particular route, if students with concessionary places already have seats on that route, they will not lose their places, and there is no reason they should lose their place. As the Deputy is probably well aware, if other eligible students who need school transport come into the scheme, that is where the difficulty arises with students with concessionary places - I would have a difficult with this - where those students would be asked to give us their seats to accommodate the eligible students. I have asked for a review on that. I do not like the idea that a student, whether they have their place on a concessionary or eligible basis, would be asked to move off a bus because there is not room on it if another eligible students is given a place on it. I have asked the Department to review that with me. I say to the Deputy and other Deputies in opposition that if they want to put forward suggestions, they can come in and meet me and we will examine it. I would not want to see any student who has a place on a concessionary or other basis lose a place on a school bus.