James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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142. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 89 of 16 May 2023, if she will provide an update on new applications registered to date for the 2023/2024 school transport scheme for mainstream, SEN and Ukrainian students; if she will outline the number of paid up applications to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25351/23]

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 149,000 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. There has been an increase of 21% tickets issued to eligible students and 38% tickets issued on a concessionary basis in the current 2022/23 school year compared to the 2021/22 school year.

In addition, school transport scheme services are being provided in the current school year for over 5,200 children who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine.

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

The School Transport Scheme is an important service for families and children. The purpose of the Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school.

Bus Éireann have advised that the number of applications made for the school transport scheme within Cork county for the 2022/23 school year as compared to the applications made for the 2021/22 school year are outlined below. It is not possible to break these applications into constituencies within the county. These applications will be checked and confirmed once final payments have been made and the number of applicants at that stage my differ.

Bus Éireann cannot provide the number of payments received at this time as the payment deadline is 9^thJune 2023, therefore payments are still being received.

With regard to planning services for the 2023/2024 school year, Bus Éireann will review applications and plan routes during the summer months. The closing date for new applications for the 2023/2024 school year was Friday 28 April. The closing date for payment/entering medical details for tickets for the 2023/2024 school year in Friday 9 June.

It is only after this time that Bus Éireann will know how many applications have been received and paid for and the eligibility of students can be confirmed. Once the analysis of applications is complete, services will be planned for the upcoming school year.

Pending completion of the School Transport review, there will be no removal or downsizing of buses/routes for the 2023/2024 school year.