Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 June 2022
189. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education the costs incurred in hiring private taxis or private transport to transport special educational needs children to schools outside their catchment areas by county for the period 2018 to date in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35145/22]
View answerSchool Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 121,400 children, including over 15,500 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. The cost in 2021 was over €289m.
The purpose of my 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.
The National Council for Special Education acts in an advisory role to the Department of Education and Skills 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.
The approximate cost per pupil on the SEN scheme is €8,000, this is due to the fact that services are more specialised and can be individual in nature due to the specific needs of the student.
The information requested is not collated in the manner requested by the Deputy, however, the overall costs incurred for the operation of school transport services for children with special educational needs for the periods referred to by the Deputy are as follows:
|
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
|
€107.6m |
€120.9m |
€117.6m |
*€153.5m |
*The 2021 outturn remains provisional until publication of the Bus Éireann Statement of Account for the School Transport Scheme 2021.
The total provisional costs of the scheme in 2021 include Covid related measures including additional vehicles to provide for 50% capacity, additional Bus Escorts to operate on these extra services, additional cleaning, sanitiser on board school services, and PPE for school transport staff.
