Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank my former colleagues of the Seanad for affording me the opportunity to address them on the issue of school transport.

School transport is a significant logistical operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education and Skills. In the region of 114,000 children, including more than 8,000 children with special educational needs, were, on a daily basis last year, transported to schools throughout the country. This network involves approximately 4,000 vehicles covering over 82 million kilometres annually. Members will appreciate it is a serious and logistical operation.

I am aware that this scheme has been the subject of much comment and debate recently in various parts of the country as a consequence of changes this year to the post-primary school transport scheme in particular. Essentially, the changes implemented last year and this year derive from a value for money review of the school transport scheme which was finalised in 2010 and from decisions of the previous Fianna Fáil-Green Party Government to implement a number of recommendations in that report. Before I outline the changes in more detail for the benefit of Members, I would like to stress again today that these changes are being implemented at a time of serious, long-term economic challenges. It has been, in the period since we assumed office, and will continue to be necessary for this Government to make tough and unpopular decisions. The reality also is that we have little or no scope to reverse earlier Government decisions.

This year's school transport budget of ¤170 million is ¤1 million less than that provided in 2011. Under the four year national recovery plan, this figure will be further reduced to ¤167 million in 2013 and ¤164 million in 2014. These are minimum required levels of savings and are like every other area of expenditure liable to revision. The reality is that in the 1997 to 2011 period, the budget for school transport increased from ¤50 million to almost ¤180 million, an increase of 260%. This massive increase in the school transport budget, while was heavily influenced by factors such as safety and transport provision for children with special educational needs, is significantly greater than the inflation rate or the rate of increase in the overall education budget during the same period. Given current circumstances and the fact that this is a significant expenditure area, it was simply not possible to exclude such an area from serious evaluation and from the impact of essential reviews in expenditure. The aggregation of the primary measures implemented in 2011 and 2012 and the post primary transport measures now being implemented arising from the value for money review will be an important element in achieving these savings.

On a positive note, the changes to the operation of the scheme also aim to ensure a modernised and streamlined application and administration system managed by Bus Éireann, which will be simpler and more transparent for families and schools. I accept that, because of the rural nature of the school transport scheme - which this year will again provide transport for approximately 13% of the overall primary and post-primary school-going population of some 840,000 children - the impact of the changes will obviously be significantly more visible in some rural communities.

In essence, the changes to school transport are in line with the general approach of the Department in relation to the planning of school infrastructure, which is based on children attending their nearest primary school and, in turn, attending their nearest post-primary school. At primary level, the "closed school rule" has ceased. While children who were attending this school of amalgamation retain their eligibility, from this school year all new primary children applying for school transport are assessed for eligibility based on their attendance at their nearest school, having regard to ethos and language. Similarly at post-primary level, the use of the catchment area system as a means of determining eligibility ceased for all new pupils entering a post-primary school this year. From the commencement of this school year, school transport eligibility for all new pupils entering a post-primary school is being determined by reference to the distance they reside from their nearest post-primary school or education centre, having regard to ethos and language.

As at primary level, children who were eligible under the former catchment boundary area system will retain their transport eligibility for the duration of their post-primary education cycle, provided there is no change to their current circumstances. In other words pupils in first, second, third, fourth or fifth year last year may complete their education in the school they are attending and may retain transport eligibility to that school for the duration of their time in that school. Siblings of these children and other children who are not attending their nearest school, be it at primary or post-primary level, may apply for school transport on a concessionary basis only in accordance with the terms of the relevant school transport scheme. Senators may recall that from the 2011-12 school year the distance criterion was also applied at primary level and that a number of children who were availing of school transport under the closed school rule, CSR, had been deemed eligible, although they resided less than 3.2 km from their school of attendance. From the beginning of the 2011-12 school year, therefore, the distance criterion of 3.2 km applied to all pupils availing of transport under the primary school transport scheme.

It remains the position that eligible primary and post-primary children holding valid medical cards and children with special educational needs will be exempt from paying the school transport charge. In addition, this year, to support families affected by the ceasing of the closed school rule, the primary concessionary charge of ¤200 was reduced and equalised with the new primary transport charge of ¤100. I attended a number of meetings last year in Listowel, Galway, Donegal and other locations at which I met with parents of primary school children, some of whom were anxious to access transport on a concessionary basis. They were being asked to pay ¤200 while children accessing the service on a non-concessionary or eligibility were being charged ¤50. I committed at that time to those parents to exploring the opportunity of equalising that charge.

I committed at the time to exploring the opportunity of equalising that charge and, thankfully, in last year's budget year we were able to do that. This means that ineligible children, those who do not meet the requisite primary distance or those who may not be attending their nearest school, may now get a concessionary seat at a cost of ¤100 per annum, rather than the cost of ¤200 that applied in the past, where there is spare capacity on buses once all eligible children have been catered for. I wish to emphasise that the changes to school transport at primary and post primary level are, and will continue to be, applied equitably and fairly on a national basis.

Given the very difficult fiscal position facing the country, it is imperative that parents, schools and the general public recognise that the main objective of the school transport scheme is to support the safe transport to and from school of children who would have difficulty travelling, for reasons of distance, to their nearest school if transport is not supported. While it is, always has been and always will be, the prerogative of parents to send their children to the school of their choice, it is simply not reasonable in these difficult times, or at any time I argue, to expect that the State would be available to provide transport on a school of choice basis.