Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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247. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of notices served under section 25 of the Education Act 1998 in each of the years 2018 to 2022, and to date in 2023, and the number that referred to students with an additional education need and or a requirement to have access and support of an ASD unit. [18930/23]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I would like to thank the Deputy for the question and would like to advise that my department is committed, in conjunction with the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), to continue to work with parents, schools, patrons and all stakeholders to ensure that there are sufficient appropriate places for students with additional needs and to support all students to achieve their potential.

Over the last two to three years, my department and the NCSE have introduced a number of strategic initiatives to plan for and provide sufficient special class and special school places.

These initiatives are bearing fruit with over 600 new special classes sanctioned at primary level, almost 300 new special classes sanctioned at post-primary level and five new special schools established over the last three years.

There are a total of 2,537 special classes opened nationwide. Of the 2,537 special classes, there are 1798 at primary level and 739 at post primary level.

As both Minister Foley and I announced recently on 12 April, 2 new special schools are being established for the 2023/2024 school year - one in Carrigtwohill, east Cork and one in the Dublin 7 area - with additional capacity being provided in 11 other special schools.

It is intended that places in the new special schools will be prioritised for children who have no offer of a special school place for the 2023/24 school year. Details in relation to the location of the new special schools, the admission process and the number of places to be offered for 2023/24 in each new special school will be confirmed very shortly.

The NCSE will work closely with the families of the children and young people concerned to assist them in accessing the new places which will become available during the 2023/24 school year.

Planning for the establishment and opening of the new special schools will begin immediately. This will include a determination of the size of the school required so that the necessary staff recruitment, school policy development and related arrangements can be put in train. This will also include ongoing communication with the families concerned.

For the 2023/2024 school year, the NCSE have also sanctioned 218 new special classes nationwide. Further additional classes will be sanctioned in the coming weeks.

The Minister has powers under Section 37A of the Education Act to direct a school to provide additional places but this power is only used as a last resort and where all reasonable efforts have failed.

This legal power to compel schools to open new special classes is only used where the following criteria apply:

• there is established need for additional places in an area
• it is considered that the schools involved in the Section 37 process have capacity to open the additional classes and
• all reasonable efforts have been made to support these schools in making the required provision.

Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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248. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of students with additional educational needs that were not provided with transport for the 2022-2023 school year. [18931/23]

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 18,300 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 4,500 children who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine.

The total cost of the scheme in 2022 was €338.9m.

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.

The National Council for Special Education acts in an advisory role to the Department of Education on the suitability of placements for children with special educational needs. Under the terms of the School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs, the Department will consider the report of the Special Education Needs Organiser (SENO). School transport is provided to children with special educational needs who are attending the nearest school to their place of residence that is or can be resourced to meet their educational needs, as identified by the SENO.

To date over 5,000 new SEN applications have been received for the 2022/23 school year and over 4,800 have been facilitated on services this year. It should be noted that of the new applications still being processed for the current school year, the majority of these applications have been received in recent months.

Any remaining applications will be catered for through a mix of new services (some being individual), children being accommodated on existing services where capacity exists, extensions of existing routes and grants to families.

Bus Éireann engage with families where transport has been sanctioned but where there are delays in sourcing a service. A Special Transport Interim Grant has been offered to families of children with special educational needs who, following the application process, are eligible under the terms of the school transport scheme and are awaiting a School Transport service to be put in place.

The interim grant is offered from the date of application to assist with the cost of private transport arrangements the family had put in place until a transport service is ready to commence.

Applications for SEN transport are received on a year round basis. Where a new service is sanctioned, this means a procurement / vetting process is required, while in many instances the school is also sanctioned to employ a transport escort and this necessarily takes time to put in place. By accepting applications year round, the Department can ensure that children with special educational needs receive the transport they require.

To ensure the efficient delivery of services for children on Special Educations Needs school transport, Bus Éireann assesses each application to identify the options available. Where children can be facilitated on an existing service, applications are processed immediately and arrangements put in place with families involved.

Where a new service has to be established there is a lead in period for this process that includes issues such as:

• route design and procurement including contract award.
• in many instances a School Bus Escort is required for the child’s safe transport to school and it can take time for the school to source a suitable person which can impact the start date.