Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 286 and 287 together.

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.

There has been an overall increase in both applications and tickets issued for the 2023/2024 school year in comparison to the 2022/2023 school year.

The purpose of the school transport scheme is to provide transport to pupils who qualify under the eligibility criteria of the scheme.

In relation to the Deputy's request for the total number of school transport applications deemed as concessionary applications in County Wexford and the number of school bus tickets applications that were declined in County Wexford for the academic year 2023/2024 compared to the previous 2022/2023 academic year;it is not possible to provide this information in the manner requested by the Deputy, as Bus Éireann continue to issue tickets to families where capacity is available.

Bus Éireann have advised however, that in Wexford they have issued 4,615 tickets to eligible pupils and 2,471 tickets to concessionary pupils to date at primary and post primary level for the 2023/24 school year to date. In comparison, 4,534 tickets issued to eligible pupils and 2,471 tickets issued to concessionary pupils in the 2022/23 school year.

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 133,000 tickets have issued for the 2023/2024 school year which is an increase of 12% when compared with the beginning of the 2022/2023 school year. This number of tickets has already exceeded the total number of tickets issued in the 2022/23 school year.

The purpose of my 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.

Children are eligible for transport at primary level where they reside not less than 3.2 kilometres from and are attending their nearest national school, and at post-primary level where they reside not less than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest post-primary school/education centre as determined by the department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.

Children who are eligible for school transport and who have completed the application and payment process on time will be accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation.

Children who are not eligible for school transport, but who complete the application and payment process on time, will be considered for spare seats that may exist after eligible children have been facilitated; such seats are referred to as concessionary seats.

Because of the nature of concessionary transport for non-eligible children and the priority of providing places for eligible children, there may be an excess of demand over supply for concessionary places, in these cases Bus Éireann will allocate tickets for spare seats using an agreed selection process.

Temporary alleviation measures (TAMS) will continue for the 2023/24 school year, pending completion of the school transport scheme review. This means that transport will be provided where such services are in operation, and where capacity exists for concessionary post-primary pupils who are eligible for transport to their nearest school and are attending their second nearest school and who apply and pay on time. Pupils availing of TAMS are still considered concessionary pupils as they are not attending their nearest school.