Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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81. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the average number of buses in the Bus Éireann school transport fleet for Kildare specifically for 2022 and 2023, in tabular form. [50086/23]

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 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.

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. The number of tickets issued so far has already exceeded the total number of tickets issued in the 2022/23 school year. 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.

Bus Éireann plans and manages the countrywide network on behalf of the Department to ensure that services are provided in line with the specific requirements of the Department. While Bus Éireann operate a small number of routes directly, the majority of school transport routes are operated by private contractors. Bus Éireann is responsible for contracting private operators in line with procurement legislation for school transport routes nationwide.

Bus Éireann is also responsible for the planning and timetabling of school transport routes on behalf of my Department. New school transport routes are established on a demand-led basis, subject to eligibility requirements. A minimum number of 10 eligible children residing in a distinct locality, as determined by Bus Éireann, are required before consideration may be given to the establishment or retention of school transport services, provided this can be done within reasonable cost limits.

Bus Eireann has advised the number of vehicles in the school transport fleet for Kildare in 2022 and 2023 are illustrated in the table below:

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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82. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will advise on the refusal of school transport for a child with special educational needs (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50095/23]

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 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.

Under the current terms of the scheme, pupils at primary level are eligible where they live no less than 3.2 kilometres from and are attending their nearest primary school having regard to ethos and language. Applications for mainstream services are submitted on-line at www.buseireann.ie.

Bus Éireann has advised that an application for mainstream services was submitted by the family on 15/03/2023 for the child referred to by the Deputy. Bus Éireann advise that this child is eligible for school transport on a mainstream service, however there is no mainstream service travelling from where they reside.

Under the terms of the School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs, children are eligible for School Transport if they are attending the nearest recognised mainstream school, special class, special school or unit that is or can be resourced, to meet the child's special educational needs under Department of Education criteria.

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 the welfare of these 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.

Since the application for the child referred to by the Deputy was for a mainstream service, and they have not applied under the scheme for children with special educational needs, they are therefore not eligible for school transport under the terms of that scheme.

In instances where there is only one family on a dedicated service, a sibling who is not eligible may be accommodated on board this service until such time another child who is eligible under the terms of scheme for children with special educational needs requires this service. At this time the non-eligible child is removed from the dedicated service.

Bus Éireann further advise that a sibling of the child referred is eligible under the terms of the school transport scheme for children with special educational needs and has been accommodated on a dedicated special school transport service since 30/10/2022.

Bus Éireann has also advised that the child referred to by the Deputy can be accommodated on this dedicated service with their sibling and can remain on the service until such time as other eligible children require the use of this service. Bus Éireann will liaise directly with the family of the child referred in this regard.

An appeal was lodged with the School Transport Appeals Board as referred to by the Deputy.

This Board is independent in the performance of it’s functions and a report has been provided by the School Transport Section of the Department of Education in accordance with the terms of the Board’s Operating Procedures. The Board will liaise directly with the appellant regarding the appeal date and their subsequent deliberations.

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.

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.

Eligibility is determined following consultation with the National Council for Special Education through its network of Special Education Needs Organisers (SENO).

There was a 30% increase in the number of special educational transport journeys from 2019 to the 2022/2023 school year, and already over 1,400 new applications have been received since July for the 2023/2024 school year.

New applications for the 2023/2024 school year will be catered for through a mix of new services (some being individual), children being accommodated on existing services where capacity exists, extensions of existing routes and grants to families.

Bus Éireann has reported that unfortunately, for a small number of families, difficulties have arisen in some localities with a small number of contracted services.

A Special Transport Interim Grant is available to families of children with special educational needs who, following the application process, are eligible under the terms of the school transport scheme and are awaiting a School Transport service to be put in place. The Department will be in direct contact with families in regard to full details of this grant.

This grant is a once off payment. The interim grant is offered from the date of application to assist with the cost of private transport arrangements that families have to put place until a transport service is ready to commence.

Bus Éireann has advised that a dedicated school transport service will commence for the child referred to by the Deputy on 14^thNovember, 2023, and has advised they have liaised with family in this regard. School Transport Section of my Department has liaised with the family in question with regard to the details of a special transport grant from their date of application until the date of commencement of the service.