Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 December 2017
187. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the situation in County Cork whereby children in special class placements are not entitled to access to transport with an escort (details supplied). [51583/17]
View answerSchool transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department.
Currently over 114,000 children, including over 11,000 children with special educational needs, are being transported in over 4,500 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually.
The purpose of the 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.
Children are eligible for transport where they:
- have special educational needs arising from a diagnosed disability in accordance with the designation of high and low incidence disability set out in the Department of Education and Skill’s (DES) Circular 02/05
and
- are attending the nearest recognised: mainstream school, special class/special school or a unit, that is or can be resourced, to meet their special educational needs
Eligibility is determined following consultation with the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) through its network of Special Education Needs Organisers (SENO).
My Department also allocates funding to schools, for the employment of escorts to accompany children who are eligible for special educational needs school transport and whose care and safety needs are such as to require the support of an escort.
