Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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332. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 204 of 26 June 2024, the reason for the estimated increase in the cost of transporting SEN pupils under the school transport scheme from €11,550 per pupil in 2024 to €20,250 per pupil 2030; to outline the factors underlying the cost differences; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29547/24]

Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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333. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 204 of 26 June 2024, to define the factors and outputs associated with the 'total review costs' which are estimated to range from €508,000 in 2024 to -€6,921,751 in 2030. [29548/24]

Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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334. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 204 of 26 June 2024, to outline the estimated number of SEN pupils that would be integrated into mainstream school transport services in each of the years 2024 to 2030 respectively, in tabular form. [29549/24]

Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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335. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 204 of 26 June 2024, the forecasted changes to the eligibility criteria for the school transport scheme as phased in each of the years 2024 to 2030, including a breakdown of phased changes to distance criteria each year, and the associated additional pupils transported under the scheme in each year. [29550/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 332 to 335, inclusive, together.

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, including over 135,000 pupils travelling on primary and post primary services, 19,800 pupils with special educational needs, and 6,800 pupils who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country.

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

As the Deputy is aware, 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.

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.

It is estimated that an additional 100,000 children, above the current pupil numbers on transport, could be accommodated on the mainstream scheme by 2030, at which point due to demographics numbers will decline somewhat thereafter but with an expected increase of 80,000 pupils on current school year numbers by 2040.

The overall spend in 2024 for the school transport scheme is estimated at €444m. This cost includes the cost of implementing certain recommendations arising from the review. To achieve our ambition to expand and improve the scheme, i.e. that it carries 100,000 additional students, will require increasing costs over time to €672m in 2030.

If we do not implement the recommendations of the scheme, financial and economic modelling shows that the costs of the scheme will rise to €678m in 2030 in any case.

This is because the comprehensive set of recommendations if implemented will leverage four major factors:

• Creating opportunities for SEN children to travel on mainstream transport with the appropriate supports, should they so wish.
• Creating greater access to local provision for children with SEN so that they have to travel less distance to access appropriate educational provision for their needs.
• Decreasing demographics which will see spare capacity increase over time on the buses.
• Greater integration with public transport where appropriate.