Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 75: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the average cost of school bus transport for pupils in County Donegal. [14016/11]

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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The Value for Money Review of the School Transport Schemes was carried out as part of the 2009-2011 round of Value for Money Reviews approved by the previous Fianna Fáil-Green Party Government and was conducted in accordance with the criteria for such reviews set out in the Department of Finance Value for Money and Policy Review Initiative Guidance Manual. The emphasis in such reviews is on the efficiency and effectiveness of the programmes under examination to assess value for money in their delivery.

The Report on this review was published last March and is available on my Department's website. The review showed that, in 2008, the annual school transport unit cost per primary child was €1,020, €958 per post primary child, €9,087 per special needs child including escort costs and €7,034 excluding escort costs. The breakdown of pupil costs on a per County basis is not readily available.