Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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36. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when she will reach a decision on the demand from school transport escorts for fair pay and conditions to reflect the importance of their work for young people with disabilities and their families. [23740/24]

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 161,600 children are transported daily to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. This figure is made up over 135,000 pupils travelling mainstream services, 19,800 pupils with special educational needs, and 6,800 pupils who have arrived in Ireland from Ukraine.

The total cost of the scheme in 2023 was €382.02m.

There is a facility within the Special Educational Needs Transport Scheme for the appointment of a School Transport Escort, where a child’s care and safety needs while on school transport are such as to require the support of a School Transport Escort.

The Department of Education provides grant funding for the employment of the School Transport Escort and sets the rate of pay. Under the Education Act 1998, the Principal/Board of Management is responsible for the operation of the school and is the employer of the School Transport Escort and therefore responsible for all employment matters relating to their School Transport Escort.

It is recognised that School Bus Escorts play a vital role in supporting children with Special Educational Needs in their journey to and from school. The School Transport Section in the Department is currently carrying out a comprehensive review of matters as they relate to the escort and the information provided to schools. An information pack is being finalised and is due to issue to schools shortly. This pack will be reviewed and updated regularly.

The School Transport Scheme 2030 report has now been published. It marks the largest review of the School Transport Scheme since it was established in 1967. The Government is committed to working to achieve the report’s recommendation of expanding access to the scheme so that an additional 100,000 pupils can be carried by 2030. As part of this review one of the actions outlined is that pay rates for School Bus Escorts is to be reviewed in full by the end of 2024.

Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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37. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to provide an update on the school transport pilot projects, including the selection criteria and details of potential areas to be included in the pilot scheme. [23807/24]

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 161,600 children are transported daily to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. This figure is made up over 135,000 pupils travelling mainstream services, 19,800 pupils with special educational needs, and 6,800 pupils who have arrived in Ireland from Ukraine.

The total cost of the scheme in 2023 was €382.02m.

Under the current terms of the scheme, 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. Any children who do not meet these criteria are deemed not eligible, or concessionary applicants, and are allocated a ticket based on the availability of a seat when all eligible children have been catered for.

The School Transport Scheme 2030 report has now been published. It marks the largest review of the School Transport Scheme since it was established in 1967. The Government is committed to working to achieve the report’s recommendation of expanding access to the scheme so that an additional 100,000 pupils can be carried by 2030.

Throughout the review, the value of the School Transport Scheme to both families and in supporting wider Government policies has been very apparent. School transport not only plays an important part in supporting children's access to education, but it also aligns to wider Government objectives.

Overall, the recommended changes to the future operation of the Scheme concern: expansion of the current eligibility criteria, addressing current operational challenges, charges and grants, and, over time, moving towards better integration with public transport to ensure the best value for money to the Exchequer.

A phased implementation of the review’s recommendations will begin in September 2024. This will include a shared effort between the Department of Education and the Department of Transport to pilot and introduce greater integration of transport networks with school transport routes.

The planned pilot projects in the 2024/25 school year will provide a valuable insight into the impact on the scheme of increased demand, the possibilities to integrate public transport services with school transport services, and the possibilities to facilitate more sustainable modes of transport.

These impacts will be fully assessed and costed as required. The projects will evaluate and assess the scale of planning and implementation required for a national roll out of a revised School Transport Scheme. As part of this, they will include the integration of public transport and school transport services.

Details of the areas to be included in the pilot scheme will be available shortly.