Written answers

Wednesday, 1 October 2025

Department of Education and Skills

School Transport

Photo of Pearse DohertyPearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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65. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when a response will issue to correspondence regarding an application for special needs school transport for a child (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52217/25]

Photo of Michael MoynihanMichael Moynihan (Cork North-West, 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 and Youth.

The purpose of the Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school.

Under the current terms of the School Transport Schemes, 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.

The purpose of the School Transport Scheme for children with Special Educational Needs is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children with special educational needs arising from a diagnosed disability.

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.

Both the Department and Bus Éireann are very conscious of the specialised nature of transport provision for children with special educational needs, under this scheme.

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 welfare of 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.

Children who are attending mainstream schools may apply for school transport in accordance with the terms of the Department’s School Transport Schemes for Primary Schools.

Two of the siblings referred to by the Deputy are eligible under the terms of the above scheme and I am pleased to advise that they are being accommodated on a dedicated service for children with special educational needs. However, the third sibling is not eligible under the terms of the scheme and cannot be accommodated on the special educational needs service.

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