James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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31. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if school transport will be provided for a child with special educational needs (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38016/24]

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 2023/24 school year over 163,800 children, including over 136,000 pupils travelling on primary and post primary services, 20,200 pupils with special educational needs, and 7,400 pupils who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine were 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.

Over 140,000 mainstream tickets have issued for the 2024/2025 school year, which is already 3% more than the total tickets issued for the full 2023/2024 school year.

The National Council for Special Education acts in an advisory role to the Department of Education on the suitability of placements for children with special educational needs.

Under the terms of the School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs, the Department will consider the report of the Special Education Needs Organiser (SENO). School transport is provided to children with special educational needs who are attending the nearest school to their place of residence that is or can be resourced to meet their educational needs, as identified by the SENO.

I am pleased to advise that the pupil referred to by the Deputy is eligible under the terms of the scheme and approval has been given by the School Transport Section of my Department to Bus Éireann to establish a new service.

Bus Éireann has tendered this service in line with procurement guidelines and are in the process of allocating a contractor to operate this service. Once a contractor has been sourced, the service will commence. Bus Éireann has advised they will liaise with the family directly to keep them updated in relation to transport provision.

Both the Department and Bus Éireann are very conscious of the challenges faced by parents awaiting transport for students with special educational needs. Families of children who are eligible for these services may therefore apply for the interim Special Transport Grant. This is a once off payment, paid retrospectively to families once the School Transport service is in place. It is intended to assist with the cost of private transport arrangements that the family had to put in place during that time. The family have been contacted directly by School Transport Section, and have been offered this grant.

Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party)
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32. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her attention has been drawn to the concerns of parents and elected representatives regarding the difficulty in communicating with Bus Éireann regarding school transport; the actions she will take to ensure that this is urgently addressed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38026/24]

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 2023/24 school year over 163,800 children, including over 136,000 pupils travelling on primary and post primary services, 20,200 pupils with special educational needs, and 7,400 pupils who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine were 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.

Over 140,000 mainstream tickets have issued for the 2024/2025 school year, which is already 3% more than the total tickets issued for the full 2023/2024 school year.

Bus Éireann has put in place a dedicated customer care call centre to assist families specifically with School Transport queries during the busy summer period. Families that have queries can contact the call centre on: LoCall 0818 919 910. Operating hours are usually 09.00 – 17.00 Monday to Friday.

Families can also contact Bus Éireann their website: www.buseireann.ie/schooltransport by submitting a query via: www.buseireann.ie/inner.php?id=769,

In addition to this, Bus Éireann has provided the following dedicated email address for use exclusively by Oireachtas Members in order to assist with queries they may have: