John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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216. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when the changes were made to the charging system for maintenance charges for school transport buses for Bus Éireann from the apportioned mileage system in the 1975 agreement to the percentage apportionment of school buses as a portion of total buses, as described in the Farrell Grant Sparks report; if this change was by mutual consent and how was the change documented; if informed calculations were made in respect of cash savings and the amount he expects to save by the recent cutbacks in school transport given in the recent report he received for each year from 2017 to 2022; if informed calculations were made in respect of the number of large buses being withdrawn from school transport services to be replaced by smaller buses; the number of buses that will be withdrawn or replaced and the capital cost of this in each of the years 2017 to 2022, in tabular form. [15975/16]

John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
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The Farrell Grant Sparks Report (2009), referred to by the Deputy, discusses staff numbers as a cost driver on page 99 but not how maintenance costs are charged to the school transport account for the maintenance of school buses.

The actual expenditure on school buses for maintenance running costs such as servicing, accident repairs, tyres and fuel are charged to the school transport account. These costs are based on actual material costs and actual hours worked on school buses and are not based on pro rata apportionment of the fleet numbers between road passenger and schools.

While the principle involved has not changed since the arrangement was put in place the operational procedure has been updated as new technologies have been introduced, such as the current SAP system used for recording work done by maintenance staff.

I am satisfied with the finding of the independent external auditors that the financial information of Bus Éireann's School Transport Scheme is prepared, in all material respects, in accordance with the Summary of Accounting Arrangements relating to the Transport Scheme for Primary and Post-Primary School Children dated 1 January 1975, and includes maintenance charges.

The Programme for Government commits to review the concessionary charges and rules element of the School Transport Scheme prior to Budget 2017.

This review, which is being commenced, will be aimed at identifying issues in relation to current rules and charges relating to concessionary places under the School Transport Scheme with a view to maximising the effectiveness of available services for children.

The results of the review will be considered in the context of Budget 2017.

Pending this review, there will be no planned programme of downsizing school buses in the coming school year. There will be route changes and variations in line with normal operational decisions that occur from year to year, and any impacts in terms of increases or decreases of available places will be marginal, in line with what occurs every year.