Funding amounting to £1.7 million per annum is being made available to extend the escort service to all special school transport services.
My Department is currently pursuing arrangements to put an escort service in place on all services carrying children to and from special schools and special classes. I expect that my Department will shortly commence the general process of sanctioning grants to the schools in question to facilitate the introduction of escorts on their special services.
As an interim measure, grants have already issued to some schools to facilitate the immediate provision of escorts where particular need has arisen. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that a grant has already been sanctioned to enable three escort services to be provided on buses serving the school to which he refers.
My Department has not been advised of any current dispute in relation to escort services at the school in question.