Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 163: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills if he will support special needs pupils transport requirements (details supplied) [39167/10]

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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The school transport scheme, which is operated by Bus Éireann on my Department's behalf, facilitates the transportation of over 125,000 children to primary and post-primary schools each day including approximately 8,000 children with special educational needs. Children with special needs are eligible for School Transport if s/he is attending the nearest recognised: mainstream school, special class/ special school or a unit, that is or can be resourced, to meet the child's special educational needs under Department of Education and Science criteria.

Bus Éireann endeavours to ensure that a reasonable level of transport service is provided for each eligible child. The safety of pupils travelling on school transport services is of paramount importance to the Department and Bus Éireann. In some cases the service provided may include an individual taxi and escort where the child's care and safety needs are such that they warrant this level of support. In general, transport for children with special needs is provided from home to school and from school to home. The provision of school transport to and from respite services is not a feature of the scheme, rather it is a service which has evolved over time and transport has been availed of on an incidental basis.

There are complex, individualised transport arrangements required for the children availing of a school transport service to a respite centre. These attendance patterns do not fit into general school transport arrangements and there are potential safety risks which need to be addressed. School bus services do not have the flexibility to provide morning only, evening only, or services on certain days only for certain children and different days for others. While individual arrangements were put in place in some instances in previous years, the level of individual planning and monitoring that this type of service provision would involve is not provided for under the School Transport Scheme and difficulties have arisen with the continuing implementation of existing arrangements.

In light of this, an examination of the current position in respect of transport to and from respite centres has been initiated in conjunction with the HSE with a view to formulating clear policy guidelines on the matter. Aspects to be considered will include the location of respite services identified relative to existing school bus routes, clarity on responsibility for the child transferring between school transport and respite arrangements, the complexity and regularity of individual respite arrangements and cost.

All new applications for transport to respite, including the case referred to by the Deputy, are to be considered in the light of these guidelines.