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 134,000 tickets have issued for the 2023/2024 school year which is an increase of 12% when compared with the start 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 Department and Bus Éireann are very conscious of the specialised nature of transport provision for children with special educational needs. This is reflected in the standard of dedicated service provided and the fact that these services are generally planned and timetabled to operate on a door-to-door basis. In certain cases, the Department also provides funding to schools for the employment of escorts to accompany children whose care and safety needs require this level of support while they travel to and from school.

Given the concerns regarding welfare of children with special educational needs, it is not always practical to make these services available to children who are capable of travelling on standard mainstream school transport services as to do so might diminish the level of care and safety that the Department and Bus Eireann wish to provide for these vulnerable children.

In the case, referred to by the Deputy, the child is currently travelling with other SEN pupils, therefore their sibling could not travel on the same service. As applications are not yet open for the 2024/2025 school year, it is not possible to confirm if the request to accommodate a sibling could be considered at this time.

Children who are attending mainstream schools may apply for school transport in accordance with the terms of the Department’s School Transport Schemes for Post Primary Schools. Applications should be made online to Bus Éireann at www.buseireann.ie.

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 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 completed the application 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.

Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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556. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when an appeal (details supplied) submitted to the School Transport Appeals Board will be processed and a decision reached, in view that it has been over seven weeks since the appeal was submitted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48676/23]

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.

In addition, school transport scheme services are being provided in the current school year for over 5,400 children who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine.

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

Decisions made by, or on behalf of, the Department of Education regarding the provision of school transport services and/or grant-aid under the terms of the School Transport Schemes may be appealed to the School Transport Appeals Board. The School Transport Appeals Board are independent of my Department and the Board liaise directly with Appellants.

The School Transport Appeals Board have confirmed that an appeal in respect of school transport for the family referred to by the Deputy was lodged with the School Transport Appeals Board. Appeals are considered in date order based on the date of receipt the appeal was received. The Board will liaise directly with the appellants when the appeal(s) are due for consideration.

The School Transport Appeals Board have confirmed they have requested a report from Bus Eireann and School Transport Section of the Department of Education. When these reports are available the family will receive a copy of them along with the date their appeal will be considered by the Board (by e-mail).

At that stage the family will be given the opportunity to include any further information that they feel would be relevant to their appeal before it is considered by the Board.