Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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129. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to offer permanent or semi-permanent contracts to SNA bus escorts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11096/18]

John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
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School transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department.

Currently over 116,000 children, including almost 12,000 children with special educational needs, are being transported in over 4,500 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually at a total cost of almost €190 million in 2017.

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 who are eligible for school transport under the terms of this scheme.

My Department also provides funding to schools for the employment of escorts to accompany children, whose care and safety needs are such that they require this level of support, while they travel to and from school.

Contracts of employment for escorts are a matter between the relevant school authorities and the individuals they employ as escorts on school transport services.