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 2022/2023 school year, over 149,000 children, including over 18,000 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country.

In addition, school transport scheme services were provided for over 5,400 children who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine.

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

Already over 132,000 tickets have issued for the 2023/2024 school year which is an increase of 12% when compared with the same time last year. This number of tickets has already exceeded the total number of tickets issued in the 2022/23 school year.

Bus Éireann, has advised that in recent weeks, they issued tickets for school transport on bus services that had been secured for the 2023/24 school year. A number of difficulties have arisen in having services in place for the start of the new school year in some localities with a small number of contracted services.

Bus Éireann continues to work intensively and every effort is being made to ensure transport can be sourced and put in place as soon as possible.

The Department is sanctioning an interim arrangement to assist with the cost of alternative arrangements until services are in place.

The Exceptional No Service Interim Grant will be made available to families retrospectively. This payment will be paid as an exceptional measure and will be calculated from the date the service was due to commence up to the date that a service is provided for children.

Details of this grant have issued this week to the family, to whom the Deputy refers, via e-mail from the School Transport Section of my Department.