Denis Naughten
Question:28 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will ensure that escorts are appointed to all special education school buses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25412/99]
Priority Questions. - School Transport.
For many years before my appointment as Minister for Education and Science, there were neglected demands for funding to be made available for the appointment of escorts on special school transport services. From the outset, I have accepted, together with my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy O'Dea, the validity of concerns expressed by parents and school authorities at the dangers to which special needs children can be exposed when travelling unaccompanied on these services.
In an effort to address this issue, I secured funding of £3.4 million over a two year period to extend the escort scheme to every special transport route in the country. This allocation was additional to the £150,000 already spent annually on the pilot escort scheme which has been in place on 34 special transport services for some years. As part of this development, I secured approval to increase the payment per escort from £3,200 per annum, which applied under the pilot scheme, to £4,995. I secured these resources on the basis of the valid concerns expressed to me by both parents and school authorities and my deep concerns about the issue.
I also took the view, which I still hold, that the most appropriate people to operate the scheme are the schools which cater for the children in question on a daily basis and know the children's needs and behaviours. This is in line with the arrangements under the pilot scheme. I assure the House that I appreciate the extra work involved for schools in participating in this scheme. I also recognise the concerns and reservations which some individual schools have expressed at taking on responsibility for the escort scheme. While I appreciate that these concerns are validly held, the pilot escort service which has operated for a number of years has not presented the difficulties which are now being raised by some schools.
While I am somewhat disappointed at the inflexible stance which certain schools are adopting in relation to this matter, I wish to take this opportunity to acknowledge the commitment shown by those schools which are going ahead and appointing their escorts. I have already had discussions with the national association of boards of management in special education in relation to concerns raised by some schools. I am pleased the association has been extremely positive in welcoming the funding made available and has expressed its wish that the schools involved should participate in the scheme.
Officials of my Department are in ongoing discussions with the association in an effort to resolve outstanding difficulties. I assure the House that my Department is making every effort to facilitate a resolution of this matter. I hope that substantial progress can be made so that escorts will be put in place on the remaining services as soon as possible.
Will the Minister put in place guidelines and procedures for the appointment of these escorts? Who will be liable if a case is taken against these escorts? What consultation, if any, did the Minister have with these bodies prior to the allocation of the £3.4 million? Is he aware that bus operators are threatening strike action because of the implications of not having these escorts in place? People fear that pupils could open the door and fall from buses travelling at 50 miles per hour. The Minister is not willing to implement this service irrespective of the allegations of abuse and so on at present. What discussions has the Minister's Department had with Bus Éireann on this matter?
Of course I am interested in implementing this service. For ten or 15 years, everyone involved thought it a great scandal that children with special needs were allowed on buses without escorts. I agree it was a scandal, the money was not sufficient and the problem should have been dealt with much earlier. I suspect if I merely extended the pilot scheme there would not have been an outcry. If I said I was extending the pilot scheme to another 150 schools, there would probably have been 300 applications. There would have been no objections and everyone would have participated.
Prior to last year's budget I discussed this issue with the Minister for Finance. He believed that the resources for this service should be made available, and he did so. The Department is not in a position to administer this scheme in each school on every route, nor would it be desirable. Neither is it desirable that bus operators should administer the scheme. The schools are closest to the families and the children, and they know the children best. I am conscious of the issues raised by the Deputy. For example, in many cases the grants exceed the amount required in terms of the number of hours an escort will work. The schools concerned have been advised to use the additional resources for administrative support in order to get the scheme up and running. None of these issues emerged under the pilot scheme. That scheme was limited to one in 20, therefore, one could assume that people were satisfied with the basic template established. As a result of the extra funding, we were able to extend the template to all schools. I hope to resolve any outstanding issues and assure people that the problem is not as great as they might believe.
Will the Minister answer the questions I put to him? What consultations did he have with the organisations before allocating the £3.4 million? Is he in a position to set down guidelines and procedures for the appointment of these escorts? Who will cover the liability of these escorts? What amount of money was returned to the Department and why has the Minister not yet resolved the issue? Children attending school are being abused continually by other pupils on the buses.
Priority Questions must be concluded as our time has run out. The Minister, very briefly.
I consulted with the national organisation, NAMBI, prior to issuing the cheques in terms of the modus operandi of the scheme. A total of 54 schools of the 119 involved have indicated that they are proceeding with the scheme. Some 23 schools have returned the funding and the remainder are waiting to see what emerges.
We must now proceed to Other Questions.