Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent)
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90. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the details of her Department's position with respect to new school places for Ukrainian refugee children; the way the school transport system is being examined to ensure it caters effectively for these students; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34957/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is working to support education provision for arriving children with immediate education needs.

Utilisation of each school’s existing capacity in the most flexible way possible will be key to supporting Ukrainian children who are being enrolled in our schools. There is generally good capacity across the country. A capacity survey at post-primary level indicates circa 20,000 school places and an equivalent survey at primary level has indicated capacity of over 50,000 school places.

The 16 Regional Education and Language Teams (REALT), hosted by the regional Education and Training Boards (ETBs), to support the needs of children from Ukraine arriving in Ireland will have a key role in managing these capacity pressures. Close liaison and linkages with the HSE and the disability services are key to aligning, in so far as possible, the accommodation, care and education of children with complex special needs.

Capacity information on the school system will be made available by my Department’s Planning and Building Unit (PBU) to support and assist the work of the REALT teams.

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. The cost in 2021 was over €289m.  During the last academic year, there has been an increase in capacity to cater for over 1500 additional pupils arriving from Ukraine.  

School transport is a demand led scheme for which the application closing date for the 2022/2023 school year has not yet passed.  Bus Éireann are in the process of planning the logistics for the operation of School Transport Scheme services for the upcoming school year.  

Detailed planning is carried out through the Bus Éireann local offices on a route by route basis to plan for capacity as required.