Written answers

Wednesday, 2 February 2022

Department of Education and Skills

School Transport

Photo of Aodhán Ó RíordáinAodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour)
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88. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will assist in the case of a child (details supplied) to assist with transport to the nearest school with a suitable available place for their needs as supported by a clinical psychologist and the school principal. [5273/22]

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 current school year over 121,400 children, including over 15,500 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €289m in 2021.  

Under the terms of the Department’s School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs, children are eligible for school transport where they have special educational needs arising from a diagnosed disability and are attending the nearest recognised school/class that is resourced to meet their special educational needs. Eligibility is determined following consultation with the National Council for Special Education through its network of Special Education Needs Organisers (SENO). 

Children who are not eligible for school transport will be considered for spare seats that may exist after eligible children have been facilitated; such seats are referred to as concessionary seats.

Because of the nature of concessionary transport for non-eligible children and the priority of providing places for eligible children, there may be an excess of demand over supply for concessionary places, in these cases Bus Éireann will allocate tickets for spare seats using a random selection process.  

The NCSE have confirmed that the school the parents have enrolled their child in is not the closest school/class resourced to meet special educational needs of the pupil.  

While the pupil in question is not eligible for transport under the School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs for the above reason, an application for SEN concessionary transport was received in the School Transport Section for the 2021/22 school year on behalf of this pupil.  

Concessionary transport may vary from year to year and cannot be guaranteed for the duration of a child’s primary school education cycle.  Where the number of applications for transport on a concessionary basis exceeds the number of seats available, Bus Éireann determines the allocation of the tickets and refunds payments made on behalf of those concessionary applicants for whom no seats remain. 

Bus Éireann, which operates school transport on behalf of the Department, has advised that there is no available service to cater for this SEN concessionary pupil under the terms of the scheme.

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