Written answers

Thursday, 10 December 2020

Department of Education and Skills

School Transport

Photo of Martin BrowneMartin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein)
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291. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if financial assistance will be provided to the family of a child with special needs that have to pay for a seat on a private bus to take their child to school as there are no buses serving them for a school which is 6 km away. [42565/20]

Photo of Norma FoleyNorma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of my Department. In the 2019/2020 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 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 €219m in 2019.

The purpose of the SEN Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children with special educational needs. Under the terms of the scheme children are eligible for transport where they have special educational needs arising from a diagnosed disability and are attending the nearest recognised mainstream school, special class/special school or  unit, that is or can be resourced, to meet their special educational needs.    

Eligibility is determined following consultation with the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) through its network of Special Education Needs Organisers (SENO). 

All eligible children are exempt from school transport charges and a Special Transport Grant (STG) towards the cost of private transport arrangements may be provided at the discretion of the Department in certain situations where for example the child’s care or medical needs are such as to make the provision of a transport service impracticable.  

Full information on the operation of the School Transport Scheme is available on my Department's website at www.education.ie.

Photo of Joe McHughJoe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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292. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a value for money review has been carried out to consider the net economic benefit that the school transport funding brings to rural communities; if consideration has been given to investing additional funding into the school transport sector to alleviate the environmental pressures borne through the heavy use of family cars bringing children to school on a daily basis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42570/20]

Photo of Norma FoleyNorma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2019/20 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 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 €219m in 2019. 

The purpose of my Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school. All

children who are eligible for school transport and who completed the application and payment process on time have been accommodated on school transport services for the 2020/2021 school year.

In October 2019, my predecessor announced a review of the school transport scheme with a view to ensuring funds are being spent in the most effective way  to meet the objectives of the scheme.  Terms of reference and the scope of the review have been drafted and a Steering Group has been established.

Given the current evolving situation with Covid-19 and the continued restrictions the work of the Steering Group has been delayed. It is intended to convene the Steering Group shortly and to agree and supplement revised terms of reference to reflect the Programme for Government.

The Review will build on the proposals in the Programme for Government as they relate to school transport, including examining the options to reduce car journeys and assessing how the School Transport Scheme can work in liaison with the Safe Routes to Schools Programme; examining the options for providing a better value and a better service for students, including and examining issues such as the nearest or next-nearest school.

Photo of Michael RingMichael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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293. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason transport is not being provided for a pupil (details supplied) in view of the fact that the school they are enrolled in has been deemed the most suitable school for them in view of their needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42540/20]

Photo of Norma FoleyNorma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department.

In the 2019/2020 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 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 €219m in 2019.

The purpose of the 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 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.

Eligibility is determined following consultation with the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) through its network of Special Education Needs Organisers (SENO). 

In this case, it has been reported that the school of attendance is not the nearest school to the pupil’s home that is or can be resourced to meet their special educational needs and therefore the child is not eligible for school transport under the terms of the scheme.  

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