Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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582. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the way the €30 million investment in school transport in Budget 2022 will be designated; the number of additional places on the scheme this will provide in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51056/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the 2020/2021 school year over 114,100 children, including over 14,700 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €224.7m in 2020. 

All children who are eligible for school transport and who completed the application and payment process on time for the 2021/22 school year are accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation.  This year I have extended measures to all post-primary pupils who are otherwise eligible for school transport but are attending their second nearest school and who have applied and paid on time so that they will be accommodated on school transport services. This arrangement is in place for current school year pending completion of the full review of the School Transport Scheme.  

To date in the 2021/22 school year some 104,324 tickets have been issued for children availing of transport on the Primary and Post-Primary School Transport Schemes.  In addition services are operating or have been sanctioned to provide transport for some 15,800 children on the School Transport Scheme for children with special educational needs, giving a total of 120,124 children availing of transport services.  This figure is subject to change as Bus Éireann continues to offer tickets where capacity exists once all eligible children have been accommodated. 

Based on an analysis conducted for phase 1 of the review of the School Transport Scheme it is projected that nationally numbers of children to avail of school transport will increase to a projected 125,220 children in 2022, including some 15,969 children on SEN transport services.

The increased investment on the scheme is due in the main to the cost of contractors to cater for the increase in pupil numbers projected in 2022. In addition the expected increase of children requiring transport on the scheme for children with special educational needs will result in a subsequent increase in the number of School Bus Escorts required and this is factored into the additional costs for 2022. As these figures are projected on a national basis it is not possible to provide the information in tabular format as requested by the Deputy.

The Deputy may also be aware that my Department commenced a review of the School Transport Scheme earlier this year. The review is being conducted with a view to examining the current scheme,  its broader effectiveness and sustainability, and to ensure that it serves students and their families adequately.

Following commencement of this review the Steering Group recently presented me with an initial interim report on eligibility with an examination of issues for mainstream pupils relating to the nearest and next nearest school.  Following consideration of this report, I approved the extension of temporary alleviation measures for transport for post-primary students who are otherwise eligible for school transport but are attending their second nearest school and have applied and paid on time.  

Wider considerations relating to operation of the scheme will take place in the next phase of the review which is now underway. The Steering Group will continue to report to me on an interim basis as the review progresses, with a view to presenting a final report with recommendations on the future operation of the Department’s School Transport Scheme.