Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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413. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 93 of 6 March 2024, where the specific information requested regarding the publication of documentation demonstrating whether bank accounts, fund transfers, or other records prove that a surplus of €8.195 million from school transport was held by Bus Éireann on her behalf as of 31 December 2011 was not included; whether she accepts that the precise information sought was not supplied; whether she will now provide this information; the reason it was withheld; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [65905/25]

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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414. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 94 of 6 March 2024, if she will investigate the reason her officials did not provide the information to the minister at the time in the preparation of the response sought by this Deputy regarding whether the transaction purportedly returning the net cash surplus of €6.7 million to her in 2018 was drawn from ‘the ring-fenced bank account’ purported to exist to separate funds from school transport from its commercial business; the corrective actions that will be taken to correct the record; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [65906/25]

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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415. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 94 of 6 March 2024, to give supporting documentation demonstrating whether the ring fencing in bank accounts existed or whether fund funds were co-mingled in bank accounts and used as general cash flow (liquidity) as working capital across Bus Éireann’s commercial business; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [65907/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 413, 414 and 415 together.

As previously outlined, the 1975 Summary of Accounting Arrangements form the basis of the payment to Bus Éireann for the operation of the School Transport Scheme. In this regard, the Department reimburses Bus Éireann for a range of costs incurred in the operation and administration of the scheme. Re-imbursement to Bus Éireann is on a cost recovery basis.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) carried out an examination of the provision of school transport and completed its report in August 2017 – the C&AG Special Report 98. The C&AG report referenced a surplus in the Transport Management Charge element of the costs. This amount was held by way of an uncommitted reserve by Bus Éireann to be used solely for the purposes of the School Transport Scheme. The balance on the uncommitted reserve was €8.1m at the end of December 2011 and reduced to €6.7m at the end of December 2018 when it was repaid fully to the Department.

The school transport scheme is a demand-led service based on the number of eligible children who apply to avail of transport. My Department works with Bus Éireann to analyse costs to the scheme on an on-going basis while each year the company produces an audited statement of account. This ensures that the financial information provided by Bus Éireann is in accordance with the relevant summary of accounting arrangements.

Bus Éireann provide the Department with an annual projected cost of school transport services together with a provisional spread of payments. These figures are incorporated into the Department’s annual profile of expenditure and are monitored on a monthly basis both in terms of the Department’s monthly profile of expenditure and Bus Éireann information based on actual costs versus projected costs. Expenditure headings and profiles are discussed at monthly meetings held between the Department and Bus Éireann. Where changes in projected expenditure occur, a new year-end forecast is submitted by Bus Éireann and reflected in a revised spread of payments.

Actual expenditure is finalised in the Bus Éireann annual statement of account which is independently audited by the Bus Éireann auditors in accordance with the 1975 Summary of Accounting Arrangements. Balances, where they occur, are accounted for in the following year’s projected cost.

The provision of the supporting documentation requested by the Deputy is not within the Department’s possession and the information provided above still remains.