Written answers
Thursday, 3 December 2015
Department of Education and Skills
School Transport Data
John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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238. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide in tabular form from the 2010 financial year to 2014, the number of eligible and separately the number of concessionary customers transported each year for these specified sub-divisions: the percentage decrease or increase in customers transported; the percentage decrease or increase in average cost per customer; whether the minimum number of ten or seven for a distinct locality applied for the tabulated years and columns showing the sums paid by the customers and her Department; the percentage saving to the Department and the percentage with separate columns for private operators and Bus Éireann services, as well as for buses and minibuses and separately for taxis transporting children with special transport needs; as part of the school transport scheme's financial years and as part of the provision of bus or taxi transport under the various schemes arranged by her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43227/15]
Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will be aware that school transport is a very significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on the Department's behalf. In the region of 112,500 children, including almost 10,000 children with special educational needs, are transported to school on a daily basis throughout the country.
The latest information sought by the Deputy in relation to pupil numbers, vehicles and charges is outlined below.
Research carried out in the context of the Value for Money Review of the School Transport Scheme showed that the annual unit cost per pupil for the provision of school transport was some €1,000, €950 and €7,000 for primary, post primary and children with special educational needs (excluding escorts) respectively.
Parental contributions as % of Overall Expenditure
Year | Total Expenditure (‘000) | Parental Contribution (‘000) | % |
---|---|---|---|
2010 | €181,409 | €11,600 | 6.3% |
2011 | €171,483 | €11,500 | 6.7% |
2012 | €168,464 | €12,600 | 7.5% |
2013 | €170,750 | €12,800 | 7.5% |
2014 | €172,081 | €13,000 | 7.6% |
Comparison of Pupil Numbers
School Year | Primary | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Special Needs | Primary Eligible | Number Primary MC Tickets Issued | % MC Card Tkts Issued | Concessionary | Total Primary Eligible & Ineligible | |
2010/2011 | 8155 | 47995 | N/A | N/A | 3272 | 59422 |
2011/2012 | 8283 | 36874 | 11735 | 32% | 4312 | 49469 |
2012/2013 | 8317 | 34464 | 12665 | 37% | 6026 | 48807 |
2013/2014 | 9239 | 33444 | 13014 | 39% | 7267 | 49950 |
2014/2015 | 9791 | 30194 | 10773 | 36% | 9699 | 49684 |
School Year | Post Primary | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Post Primary Eligible | Number Post Primary MC Tickets Issued | % Medical Card PP Tickets Issued | Concessionary | Total Post Primary Eligible & Ineligible | Total Pupils Primary & Post Primary Eligible & Concessionary | |
2010/2011 | 64040 | 27594 | 43% | 531 | 64571 | 123993 |
2011/2012 | 63004 | 29035 | 46% | 542 | 63546 | 113015 |
2012/2013 | 60733 | 30108 | 50% | 2923 | 63656 | 112463 |
2013/2014 | 59010 | 30461 | 52% | 5103 | 64113 | 114063 |
2014/2015 | 53904 | 27197 | 50% | 8989 | 62893 | 112577 |
Note:
In 2014/15 the drop of 3250 Primary eligible and 5106 PP eligible pupils results in a corresponding decrease in MC tickets issued. This reduction in the number of eligible pupils corresponds with the increase in the number of concessionary pupils as pupils who retained eligibility under the 'old' rules finish school and new applicants avail of concessionary transport under the rules of the new schemes.
11 February 2015
Vehicles - Bus Éireann & Contractors
Type | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
BE large (on road) | 491 | 491 | 455 | 427 | 427 |
Private Contractor
Large | 615 | 619 | 631 | 643 | 657 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Medium | 764 | 737 | 750 | 733 | 782 |
Mini | 1282 | 1256 | 1289 | 1320 | 1367 |
Taxi | 722 | 723 | 744 | 765 | 832 |
Total on the road | 3874 | 3826 | 3869 | 3888 | 4065 |
Total % of direct provision | 13% | 13% | 12% | 11% | 11% |
Withdrawal of Services Under Minimum Numbers
Number of services withdrawn | Number of Services withdrawn | ||
---|---|---|---|
Year | Primary | PP | Cost Over Full School Year |
2010 | 7 | None | €107,843.73 |
2011 | 76 | 9 | €1,355,438.00 |
2012 | 11 | 1 | €285,297.00 |
2013 | 15 | 5 | €364,733.00 |
2014 | 21 | 7 | €519,976.60 |
2015 | 40 | 3 | €716,628.00 |
School Transport Scheme - 2008 v 2013
Year | Contractor Vehicles | New Demand Led Services Sanctioned at extra cost | Service Enhancements Sanctioned at extra cost | Sanctioned Extra Cost for new and improved services | Savings from Reorganisation of Services (Network) and Rebate | Total net chargeable by BE to DES €m | Parental Charges Collected €m | Total combined net amount chargeable including parental charges €m |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2008 | 3,330 | +206 | +447 | €6.1m | €3.5m (Network) €0.5m(Rebate) €4.0m | 162,024 | 8,751 | 170,775 |
2009 | 3,322 | +123 | +445 | €4.0m | €6.6m (N) €0.35m (R) €7.0m | 159,369 | 11,628 | 170,997 |
2010 | 3,383 | +97 | +363 | €3.5m | €5.3m (N) €0.3m (R) €5.6m | 154,026 | 11,651 | 165,677 |
2011 | 3,335 | +152 | +293 | €3.9m | €6.7m (N) €1.8m(R) €8.5m | 151,804 | 11,486 | 163,290 |
2012 | 3,414 | +196 | +442 | €6.0m | €2.5m (N) €3.6m(R) €6.1m | 149,477 | 12,570 | 162,047 |
2013 | 3,461 | +215 | +525 | €6.3m | €3.3m (N) €3.75m (R) €7.0m | 149,825 | 12,772 | 162,597 |
Change v 2008 | +131 Contractor vehicles* | +989 new services | +2,515 enhancements | +€29.8m approved extra cost | €38.2m in Cost Reductions including rebate of€10.3m** | Reduction of€12.2m | +€4.0m | Reduction of €8.2m |
**Policy changes announced in Budget 2011 also contributed to network efficiencies (i.e. services withdrawn that fell below the minimum number threshold for service retention)
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