Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this matter today. School transport is a very significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. Approximately 113,000 children, including almost 10,000 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to schools throughout the country during the school year. This network involves approximately 4,000 vehicles using more than 6,000 routes and covering over 82 million km annually. Expenditure on school transport for children with special educational needs currently is €69 million, or 40% of the total budget for school transport provision.

The case the Senator outlined is similar to others and is not unique. Quite a number of young people with special needs avail of school transport through the education system. The purpose of the school transport scheme for children with special educational needs is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children with special educational needs arising from a diagnosed disability. Children with special educational needs are eligible for school transport if they are attending the nearest recognised school or unit that is or can be resourced to meet their special educational needs under Department of Education and Skills criteria.

School placement is determined by the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, through its network of special educational needs organisers, SENOs. School transport eligibility is then determined based on the terms of the scheme I have just set out. It is based on the nearest recognised school which has or can have the resources. It is often the case that a school has been given extra resources to match the needs of a child.

In addition, to assist parents, the NCSE has published guidelines on choosing a school, which are available on its website at www.ncse.ie. These guidelines were developed to inform parents about the range of educational placements and supports that are now available for their children. The guidelines also set out a number of factors that parents might want to take into account when choosing a school for their children, such as school transport.

The Senator is aware that the child in this case is not attending his nearest school and is therefore not eligible for school transport. I believe the policy of eligibility for school transport based on attendance at the nearest school or unit is acceptable, given that resources can be allocated to a school if necessary. All State-funded primary and post-primary schools have been allocated additional resources to provide for children with special educational needs enrolled in school. Primary and post-primary schools have a permanent allocation of additional teaching supports to provide for children whose educational psychological assessment places them in the high-incidence or less complex disability category.

Separately, the NCSE allocates special needs assistants for children with additional care needs, as outlined in circular 0030/2014, along with additional resource teaching hours for children who have been assessed within the low-incidence or more complex category of special need, as defined by my Department's circular Sp Ed 02/05. The NCSE operates within my Department's established criteria for the allocation of special education supports and the staffing resources available to my Department.

The Senator may also be aware that the NCSE is currently at an advanced stage in the preparation of policy advice on the education of children with autism. I expect its final report will reflect the broadest possible range of views, both national and international, and will provide recommendations which will assist the development of policy for future years.

Regarding the provision of therapeutic services such as speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and psychological services, these are matters for the Health Service Executive and are not a factor in identifying the nearest recognised placement or for transport eligibility purposes. I know a lot of effort and detail went into the choice of school for the child to whom the Senator referred and the parents visited six or seven schools. I wish to advise that while it is the prerogative of parents to send their children to the school of their choice, eligibility for school transport is to the nearest school or unit. The terms of the school transport scheme for children with special educational needs are applied equitably on a national basis. There is no opportunity for me to intervene. I have dealt with many similar cases in the past seven or eight months. The criteria are in place, and it is not within my gift to change them for one case. There is a duty to apply the rules equitably and fairly across the system. It is very clear that schools are given the resources to match needs, but parents have to pick the nearest school. I am sorry, but the rules have to be fair across the board.