Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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154. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the amount of money spent annually on transporting children with special educational needs outside their local school catchment area. [25414/23]

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 3,800 children who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine.

The total cost of the scheme in 2022 was €338.9m. Of this total cost, €187.6m related to the provision of transport for children with special educational needs which included the payment of bus contractors, the grant funding of school bus escorts to schools and the provision of special transport grants to families.

With regard to the provision of transport for children with special educational needs, 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 they are 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.

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.