Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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99. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the amount of funding approved by her Department for expenditure on the provision of escorts for children with special needs whilst being transported to school; if she will provide a breakdown of the escort cost for each individual school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46403/14]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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103. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the amount of funding spent in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 on school transport arrangements for children with special needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46404/14]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 99 and 103 together.

The purpose of my Department's 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 are eligible for transport where they:

- have special educational needs arising from a diagnosed disability in accordance with the designation of high and low incidence disability set out in Department of Education and Skill's (DES) Circular 02/05; and

- are attending the nearest recognised: mainstream school, special class/special school or a unit, that is or can be resourced, to meet their special educational needs

My Department also allocates funding to schools, for the employment of escorts to accompany children who are eligible for school transport and whose care and safety needs are such as to require the support of an escort.

In this regard funding totalling over €18m was provided to over 400 schools employing some 1600 escorts in 2014; the breakdown on an individual school basis is not readily available. However, if the Deputy has a particular school in mind it may be possible to provide more detailed information.

The total annual expenditure on School Transport services since 2010 was as follows: