Colm Burke (Cork North-Central, Fine Gael)
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437. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when a grant payment will issue to a school (details supplied) for bus escorts for the 2023/2024 school year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2601/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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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 172,500 children, are transported daily in approximately 7,900 vehicles across 10,300 routes to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. These daily trips cover over 100 million kilometres. this figure includes over 143,800 pupils travelling on primary and post primary services, 21,700 pupils with special educational needs, and 6,800 pupils who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine.

The scheme is made up of three separate schemes, the school transport scheme for primary, post primary and for children with special educational needs. Transport is also provided for children who have arrived in Ireland from Ukraine and those residing in IPAS/EROC centres.

The total cost of the scheme in 2024 was €454m.

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. The Board of Management/ETB are responsible for the employment of the School Transport Escort.

In relation to the school referred to by the Deputy in this case, my Department issued an advance escort funding for the 2023/24 school year in October 2023. The school referred submitted their Escort Reconciliation Sheet for the actual hours worked by their escorts in the 2023/24 school year in June 2024, and this was reconciled against what had been paid in advance to the school for that school year.

It was recorded that the school spent less in 2023/24 than the advance payment they received, and therefore no payment issued as sufficient funding for employment of the Escort(s) was provided by the Department. The school has been contacted directly by School Transport Section of my Department and provided with a breakdown of this reconciliation. The school should contact escorttransport@education.gov.ie should they have any further queries in this regard, and officials in my Department would be happy to assist.