Written answers

Tuesday, 12 November 2019

Department of Education and Skills

School Transport Administration

Photo of Marc MacSharryMarc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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183. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he has requested individual accounts from Bus Éireann in view of the fact that a company (details supplied) would have to audit the separate annual profit and loss accounts for the provision of school transport in order to audit the statutory account of Bus Éireann as published in the annual reports; if he is in receipt of the audits since 1997 for his examination of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46336/19]

Photo of John HalliganJohn Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
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School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the 2018/2019 school year over 117,500 children, including over 13,000 children with special educational needs, were transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost of over €200m in 2018.

The 1975 Summary of Accounting Arrangements form the basis of the payment to Bus Éireann for the operation of the School Transport Scheme. In this regard, the Department reimburses Bus Éireann for a range of costs incurred in the operation and administration of the scheme. Re-imbursement to Bus Éireann is on a cost recovery basis. Actual expenditure is finalised in the Bus Éireann annual statement of account which is independently audited by the Bus Éireann auditors in accordance with the 1975 Summary of Accounting Arrangements.

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