Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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79. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update on the additional funding received in budget 2023 for school transport; the way in which additional school transport places are being provided; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49958/22]

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I did not think we would get to this question. The Minister has dealt somewhat with the issue I raise but the fact is we have a school transport fiasco every year. We must ensure that is not the case into the future. A review will need to deal with eligibility and distances, including allowing for circumstances where schools are equidistant, and facilitate as many concessionary tickets as possible.

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy is aware, the school transport scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. It is important to look at the figures. In the most recent school year, more than 121,400 children, including more than 15,500 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. The cost of the scheme in 2021 was €289 million. It is an important service for families and children.

The purpose of the scheme, having regard to available resources, is to support the transport to and from school of children who reside at a remote distance from their nearest school. In July 2022, the Government announced funding for the waiving of school transport scheme fees for the 2022-23 school year as part of a wider package of cost-of-living measures. School transport ticket registration for the current school year closed on 29 July, by which time almost 130,000 applications were received for mainstream school transport. This figure includes 44,299 new applicants as well as rollovers from the previous school year. More than 125,000 tickets have already issued for the 2022-23 school year. At the start of the previous school year, approximately 103,600 children were carried on mainstream school transport services. This means in the region of 21,400 additional places have been created, which is a 20% overall increase. Compared with the start of the 2021-22 school year, there has been an increase of 18% to date in the number of tickets issued to eligible pupils and an increase of 27% in the number of tickets issued to concessionary pupils.

Bus Éireann will continue to process applications and issue tickets as soon as extra buses and drivers are sourced and become available to provide transport for the higher numbers qualifying for the service. Regrettably, however, the unprecedented numbers of new applications for the current school year have led to some delays in the issuing of tickets. The normal eligibility criteria for the scheme still apply and tickets continue to be allocated in line with those criteria. Pupils at primary level are eligible if they live no less than 3.2 km from, and are attending, their nearest primary school. At post-primary level, students who live no less than 4.8 km from their nearest or next nearest school are eligible.

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. At this point, what we want to see is accommodation of all the pupils who previously got concessionary tickets, as well as those in receipt of what are now being called concessionary 3 tickets. For students who have no siblings who ever travelled on the school bus and are the first in the family to enter the fray, I would like to think the numbers will work out for them. The difficulty with all this is that we have been relying on an element of luck.

We definitely cannot go back. We must plan into the future for the delivery of the current provision and more. The best news I had today was in dealing with families in Annagassan whose children have got their tickets following severe disruption over the past while. I am still waiting for a number of results in other parts of County Louth, including north Louth and for several students travelling to The Bush. Their difficulty is they are not located more than 4.8 km from their nearest school, which is something that definitely needs to be revisited.

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I acknowledge the Deputy's ongoing commitment to this issue. The scheme for the waiving of school transport fees was very clear in that it applied to those students who met the eligibility criteria. We have outlined those criteria, which are that pupils must live more than 3.2 km from their nearest primary school or 4.8 km from their nearest post-primary school or, to include the temporary alleviation measures I introduced, their next nearest school. Those who have met those criteria are being catered for. The difficulties we have identified concern pupils who had concessionary tickets last year. We received additional funding in the budget to ensure those who were in receipt of concessionary tickets last year and had applied on time would, where capacity allows, be accommodated. However, I absolutely acknowledge the whole impetus behind the review of the school transport system is to look at the issue of eligibility and the criteria and, as I said earlier, to maximise the potential to have a greater number of students availing of the scheme.

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Yes, the review needs to look at all the criteria and we must ensure this particular issue is not ongoing. I like to think all sensible politicians would welcome that, as will families. There is no point repeating myself other than to say we need to deliver for people as quickly as possible, accepting the capacity issues and making sure they do not arise next year.

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy. I reiterate that we have seen an increase this year in the numbers who are eligible. We have also seen a 27% increase in the number of concessionary tickets offered this year compared with last year. It is a substantial increase. Notwithstanding that, the entire root-and-branch review will give us an opportunity to look at new opportunities into the future for enhancing and increasing eligibility and meeting the demand that exists.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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We have time for two more questions, although I am not sure whether the Minister has the replies to hand.