Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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209. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update on an application to the school transport section for a concessionary school bus ticket for a sibling of a student (details supplied) with special educational needs, which was submitted in July 2022, where there has been no communication with the applicant’s family since the application was submitted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5749/23]

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 of Education. In the current school year over 147,900 children, including over 18,000 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country.

In addition, school transport scheme services are being provided in the current school year for over 4,200 children who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine.

The total cost of the scheme in 2022 was €332.2m.

The purpose of the School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs is to provide a reasonable level of transport service for children with a diagnosed disability and / or special educational need, who, because of the nature of their disability, may not be in a position to avail of a school bus service which would be time-tabled to pick up other children along the route of service.

A pupil with special educational needs is eligible for school transport if s/he is attending the nearest recognised: mainstream school, special class / special school or a unit, that is or can be resourced, to meet the child's special educational needs under Department of Education criteria.

My Department and Bus Éireann are very conscious of the specialised nature of transport provision for children with special educational needs. This is reflected in the standard of dedicated service provided and the fact that these services are generally planned and timetabled to operate on a door-to-door basis. In certain cases, my Department also provides funding to schools for the employment of escorts to accompany children whose care and safety needs require this level of support while they travel to and from school.

Given the concerns regarding the welfare of children with special educational needs, it is not always practical to make these services available to children who are capable of travelling on standard mainstream school transport services.

Children who are attending mainstream schools may apply for school transport in accordance with the terms of my Department’s School Transport Schemes for Primary and Post Primary Schools.

The family of the child referred to by the Deputy has been advised of my Department’s decision.