Written Answers Nos. 353-372
353. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Minister for Education if she will ensure a child (details supplied) will be provided with school transport, which is now their only means of getting to school; if she will review the circumstances of this case; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47951/22]
View answerThe School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the last school year over 121,400 children, including over 15,500 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €289m in 2021.
In July 2022, Government announced funding for the waiving of school transport scheme fees for the coming school year as part of a wider package of cost of living measures.
Ticket registration for the 2022/23 school year closed on 29 July by which time almost 130,000 applications/registrations were received for mainstream school transport. This figure includes 44,299 new applications as well as roll-overs from the previous school year.
The normal eligibility criteria of the scheme still apply and tickets continue to be allocated in line with this criteria. Pupils at primary level are eligible where they live no less than 3.2 kilometres from and are attending their nearest primary school. At post primary level, students who live no less than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest post primary school/education centre are deemed eligible.
Any pupils/students who do not meet these criteria are deemed not eligible, or otherwise known as concessionary applicants, and are allocated a ticket based on the availability of a seat when all eligible children have been catered for.
In line with normal practice, all eligible children who completed the application and ticket registration process on time for the 2022/2023 school year will be accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation.
Bus Éireann has advised that this family referred to by the Deputy are not eligible for school transport under the terms of the school transport scheme and were unsuccessful in obtaining a seat on board a school transport service for the 2022/23 school year as the existing service is operating to capacity.
Following discussions with Minister McGrath and officials in DPER as part of the budgetary process some additional funding has been approved for the scheme which will allow officials in consultation with Bus Éireann to consider and evaluate where temporary additional capacity may be available.
The initial focus will be where families applied on time and who previously held concessionary tickets, to alleviate the impact of the increased demands on the scheme for those families. However, it is important to stress that this is subject to capacity considerations. Constraints in sourcing vehicles and drivers in certain areas of the country may also mean that it may take a number of weeks to explore solutions for additional capacity.
354. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education when a special educational needs officer will be reappointed to south County Tipperary; the reason south County Tipperary has no SENO currently; the number of children currently seeking special educational needs supports in the area; the number of students currently awaiting a placement in an ASD unit and generalised learning disability unit in south County Tipperary; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47958/22]
View answerI would like to thank the Deputy for the question and would like to advise the following:
Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this Government.
For 2022, my Department will spend in excess of €2 Billion, or over 25% of the Department’s budget on providing a wide range of schemes and supports for children with special educational needs.
For 2023, this spend will be substantially increased by over 12%, meaning that for 2023 my Department will spend over €2.6 billion on special education.
This level of educational funding and support is unprecedented and represents in excess of 27% of the Department’s total allocation for 2023.
This includes additional teaching and care supports. It also includes funding for the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) for an additional 54 psychologists to provide services to special schools and special classes.
In 2022, funding for an additional 980 teachers and 1,165 special needs assistants was provided. For 2023, the number of teaching and SNA posts in our schools will increase with an additional 686 teachers and a further 1,194 special needs assistants in our schools next year.
For the first time ever we will have over 19,000 teachers working in the area of special education and over 20,000 Special needs assistants. Together we have almost 40,000 qualified and committed people in our schools who are focused wholly and exclusively on supporting children with special educational needs.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children nationwide.
In 2023, there will be a significant investment in the expansion of the National Council for Special Education, with a total full-year investment of €13 million, in over 160 additional staff. This investment is being undertaken so that the NSCE can respond effectively, compassionately and quickly to the increased need in our education system so that children and their families are fully supported and achieve the best possible education outcomes.
My Department and the NCSE continue to work very closely in planning for the delivery of new places required to meet forecasted demand.
I am satisfied that this approach is delivering. We have seen 392 new special classes open, bringing the total of special classes to 2,543 opened nationwide for the 2022/23 school-year. The 392 new special classes for 2022/23 is broken down by 260 at primary level and 132 at post primary level.
For 2023, a further 370 special classes will open, taking the total number of special classes to over 2,900 in 2023.
Information on the list of schools with special classes, the types and locations of these classes is published on the NCSE website and is available at www.ncse.ie.
NCSE is continuing to engage with schools regarding the establishment of additional special classes for the next school year 2023/2023. Every support will be made available to schools to progress the opening of special classes in the shortest possible timeframe
It is of course open to any school to engage with the NCSE to establish a special class.
My Department is committed, in conjunction with the NCSE, to continue to work with parents, schools, patrons and all stakeholders to ensure that there are sufficient appropriate places for students with additional needs and to support all students to achieve their potential.
I want to reassure you also that my Department will continue to support the NCSE and schools through the provision of the necessary funding and capital investment to ensure all children are successful in accessing an education.
355. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Education the status of an application by a school (details supplied) to have a person appointed as a trustee; and if she will progress this appointment. [47959/22]
View answerThis matter is currently being reviewed by officials in my Department. On completion of this review my officials will be in contact with the Deputy's office.
356. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education if she will provide a teacher (details supplied) with a cash equivalent value transfer certificate in respect of her pension entitlements from the years that she taught in Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47972/22]
View answerThe teacher to whom the Deputy refers is a member of two pension schemes. She has preserved entitlements under the Primary School Teachers Pension Scheme and a statement of pension benefits under this scheme issued to her last July. She is also a member of the Single Public Service Pension Scheme but has not yet served the vesting period which is required to qualify for retirement benefits under that scheme.
A cash equivalent transfer value certificate is not provided for in this jurisdiction in the same way as it is in the UK. However officials in my Department are actively engaged with a representative of the teacher in question and will provide an actuarial valuation of her pension benefits in due course.
357. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Education the reason a school (details supplied) in County Donegal has not met the DEIS criteria; if she will list the criteria it was refused on; if the school will be reassessed given its staff are of the opinion the school ought to qualify for DEIS funding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47986/22]
View answerIn March I was glad to be able to announce a major expansion of the DEIS – Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools programme which means that, for the first time since 2017, the programme is being significantly expanded and eligible schools will now gain access to targeted supports to address educational disadvantage. This will add an additional €32million to my Department’s expenditure on the DEIS programme from 2023, bringing the 2023 allocation on the DEIS programme to in the region of €180million.
Schools were identified for inclusion in the programme through the refined DEIS identification model which is an objective, statistics based model.
The DEIS identification process aims to identify those schools with the highest levels of concentrated disadvantage or the highest proportion of students from disadvantaged backgrounds within a school. The model uses information from the school’s individual enrolment database and 2016 national census data as represented by the Pobal HP Deprivation index. The model takes into account the student cohort and the relative disadvantage within a given school. The DEIS identification model takes into consideration the significant educational disadvantage experienced by Traveller and Roma learners and by students residing in direct provision or emergency homeless accommodation.
A detailed paper on the refined DEIS identification model is available on gov.ie at www.gov.ie/en/publication/a3c9e-extension-of-deis-to-further-schools/#how-schools-were-selected-for-inclusion-in-deis.
Schools that were not satisfied with the outcome following the application of the DEIS identification model to their school enrolment data were provided with the opportunity to have that outcome reviewed. The details of the Appeals process is outlined in Circular 0019/2022 which can be found on the gov.ie website.
Following the processing of the appeal received regrettably there was no change to the outcome of the initial application of the refined DEIS identification model to the school. My Department, however, will continue to support the school and the school community as they deliver high quality, inclusive teaching and learning to their students and young learners. The DEIS appeals process was applied fairly across all appellants and the results are final.
It is important to note that the extension of the DEIS programme to new schools is just one phase of work in my vision for an inclusive education system which supports all learners to achieve their potential. While the DEIS programme supports those schools with the highest levels of concentrated educational disadvantage, I recognise that there are students at risk of educational disadvantage in all schools. Conscious of this, and recognising the need to target resources to those schools that need them most, the next phase of work will explore the allocation of resources to schools to tackle educational disadvantage. Part of this programme of work will involve consultation with all relevant stakeholders.
In addition to this, following the National Census 2022 held on the 3rd April last it is envisaged that an updated HP Deprivation Index will be generated by Pobal and will be available in Q3 of 2023. My Department will engage with Pobal in relation to this process. The updated HP Deprivation Index, when available, can be considered by my Department to inform future resource allocation to tackle educational disadvantage.
358. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education if a school (details supplied) in County Kerry will be permitted to retain its current teaching allocation in 2023 given the likelihood of future enrolments from Ukrainian families moving into the area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47987/22]
View answerThe key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September.
For the 2022/23 school year, the staffing schedule for primary schools has been improved by one point and schools will be provided with class teachers on the basis of 1 teacher for every 24 pupils which is a historical low ratio, with lower thresholds applying to DEIS Urban Band 1 schools.
The staffing process contains an appeals mechanism for schools to submit a staffing appeal under certain criteria to an independent Primary Staffing Appeals Board. Details of the appeal process are available in Circular 25/2022.
The school referred to by the Deputy has been informed that its staffing appeal has been approved on a provisional basis, pending confirmation of the school's enrolment reaching the required retention figure on 30th September.
359. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education if a school bus ticket will be issued to a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48051/22]
View answerThe School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the last school year over 121,400 children, including over 15,500 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €289m in 2021.
In July 2022, Government announced funding for the waiving of school transport scheme fees for the coming school year as part of a wider package of cost of living measures.
Ticket registration for the 2022/23 school year closed on 29 July by which time almost 130,000 applications/registrations were received for mainstream school transport. This figure includes 44,299 new applications as well as roll-overs from the previous school year.
Children are eligible for transport at primary level where they reside not less than 3.2 kilometres from and are attending their nearest national school, and at post primary level where they reside not less than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest post primary school/education centre as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
Temporary Alleviation Measures at post-primary level will be continued for the 2022/2023 school year pending completion of the review of the School Transport Scheme. This will mean that transport arrangements will continue to be provided for a number of post-primary students who are attending their second nearest school, who have applied and registered on time and who live more than 4.8km from their nearest school. Families who normally would pay an annual ticket charge will not be charged a fee for their school bus ticket for the 2022/23 school.
Children who are eligible for school transport and who have completed the application process on time will be accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation.
Children who are not eligible for school transport, but who completed the application process on time, will be considered for spare seats that may exist after eligible children have been facilitated; such seats are referred to as concessionary seats.
Because of the nature of concessionary transport for non-eligible children and the priority of providing places for eligible children, there may be an excess of demand over supply for concessionary places, in these cases Bus Éireann will allocate tickets for spare seats using a random selection process.
Bus Éireann has advised that a ticket was issued to the pupil on 7th September, 2022 for the first route mentioned by the Deputy. Bus Éireann has also confirmed that there are seats available on the second route mentioned, and Bus Éireann are currently liaising with the family in this regard. A ticket will be issued to the requested route in due course.
360. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education if a school bus ticket will be issued to a person (details supplied). [48052/22]
View answerThe School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the last school year over 121,400 children, including over 15,500 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €289m in 2021.
In July 2022, Government announced funding for the waiving of school transport scheme fees for the coming school year as part of a wider package of cost of living measures.
Ticket registration for the 2022/23 school year closed on 29 July by which time almost 130,000 applications/registrations were received for mainstream school transport. This figure includes 44,299 new applications as well as roll-overs from the previous school year.
Children are eligible for transport at primary level where they reside not less than 3.2 kilometres from and are attending their nearest national school, and at post primary level where they reside not less than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest post primary school/education centre as determined by the department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
Children who are eligible for school transport and who have completed the application process on time will be accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation.
Children who are not eligible for school transport, but who completed the application process on time, will be considered for spare seats that may exist after eligible children have been facilitated; such seats are referred to as concessionary seats.
Because of the nature of concessionary transport for non-eligible children and the priority of providing places for eligible children, there may be an excess of demand over supply for concessionary places, in these cases Bus Éireann will allocate tickets for spare seats using a random selection process.
Bus Éireann has advised that the pupil(s) referred to by the Deputy in this case reside 2.9 km from their home to Naomh Clar NS, Tubberclair, Co. Westmeath (RN: 18505G), their nearest school and school of attendance.
Therefore, these pupil(s) are not eligible for transport as they do not meet the distance criteria under the Primary School Transport Scheme. Ticket requests were received for these pupil(s) on 21/07/2022 however, the pupils were unsuccessful in obtaining concessionary seats for the 2022/23 school year. The existing school transport service is currently operating to capacity and there are no seats available at present.
As Bus Éireann process remaining applications and where additional services may need to be put in place for eligible children, any capacity on these services will be offered to concessionary applicants.
Following discussions with Minister McGrath and officials in DPER as part of the budgetary process some additional funding has been approved for the scheme which will allow officials in consultation with Bus Éireann to consider and evaluate where temporary additional capacity may be available.
The initial focus will be where families applied on time and who previously held concessionary tickets, to alleviate the impact of the increased demands on the scheme for those families. However, it is important to stress that this is subject to capacity considerations. Constraints in sourcing vehicles and drivers in certain areas of the country may also mean that it may take a number of weeks to explore solutions for additional capacity.
361. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education if a school bus ticket will be issued to a person (details supplied). [48054/22]
View answerThe School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the last school year over 121,400 children, including over 15,500 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €289m in 2021.
In July 2022, Government announced funding for the waiving of school transport scheme fees for the coming school year as part of a wider package of cost of living measures.
Ticket registration for the 2022/23 school year closed on 29 July by which time almost 130,000 applications/registrations were received for mainstream school transport. This figure includes 44,299 new applications as well as roll-overs from the previous school year.
Children are eligible for transport at primary level where they reside not less than 3.2 kilometres from and are attending their nearest national school, and at post primary level where they reside not less than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest post primary school/education centre as determined by the department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
Children who are eligible for school transport and who have completed the application process on time will be accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation.
Children who are not eligible for school transport, but who completed the application process on time, will be considered for spare seats that may exist after eligible children have been facilitated; such seats are referred to as concessionary seats.
Bus Éireann has advised that the pupil(s) referred to by the Deputy in this case reside 2.9 km from their home to Moate Community School, Co. Westmeath (RN: 91501L), their nearest school and school of attendance. These pupil(s) therefore, are not eligible for transport as they do not meet the distance criteria under the Post Primary School Transport Scheme.
Ticket requests were requested for these pupil(s) on 28/08/2022, however at this stage the existing service was already operating to capacity and there are currently no seats available.
As Bus Éireann process remaining applications and where additional services may need to be put in place for eligible children, any capacity on these services will be offered to concessionary applicants.
362. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education if a school bus ticket will be issued to a person (details supplied). [48055/22]
View answerSchool Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the last school year over 121,400 children, including over 15,500 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €289m in 2021.
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/Post Primary Centre
Under the terms of my Department's Post Primary School Transport Scheme children are eligible for school transport where they reside not less than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest school as determined by my Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
In general children are eligible for school transport if they meet the distance criteria and are attending their nearest post primary school/post primary centre.
Children who are eligible for school transport and who complete the application process on time are accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation.
Bus Éireann has advised that the pupil to which the Deputy refers is not eligible for transport as they are attending their fourth nearest Post Primary Centre.
However, Bus Éireann has also advised that there is an existing school transport available to accommodate this pupil and a ticket was sent to this pupil on 02/08/2022.
363. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education if a school bus ticket will be issued to a person (details supplied). [48056/22]
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, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €289m in 2021.
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.
Under the terms of my Department's Post Primary School Transport Scheme children are eligible for school transport where they reside not less than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest school as determined by my Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
In general children are eligible for school transport if they meet the distance criteria and are attending their nearest post primary school/post primary centre.
Children who are eligible for school transport and who complete the application process on time are accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation.
Bus Éireann has advised that the pupil referred to by the Deputy is eligible for transport as they are attending their nearest school.
There is an existing service available to accommodate this pupil and a ticket was sent to this pupil, however, it appears this ticket has not been received by the family and has been re-issued on 28/09/2022 and should be received shortly.
364. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education if a school bus ticket will be issued to a person (details supplied). [48057/22]
View answerThe School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the last 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 at a cost of over €289m in 2021.
In July 2022, Government announced funding for the waiving of school transport scheme fees for the coming school year as part of a wider package of cost of living measures.
Ticket registration for the 2022/23 school year closed on 29 July by which time almost 130,000 applications/registrations were received for mainstream school transport. This figure includes 44,299 new applications as well as roll-overs from the previous school year.
Bus Éireann are processing applications and issuing tickets as soon as extra buses and drivers are sourced and become available to provide transport for the higher numbers qualifying for the service.
The normal eligibility criteria of the scheme still apply and tickets continue to be allocated in line with this criteria. Pupils at primary level are eligible where they live no less than 3.2 kilometres from and are attending their nearest primary school. At post primary level, students who live no less than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest post primary school/education centre are deemed eligible.
Any pupils/students who do not meet these criteria are deemed not eligible, or otherwise known as concessionary applicants, and are allocated a ticket based on the availability of a seat when all eligible children have been catered for.
In line with normal practice, all eligible children who completed the application and ticket registration process on time for the 2022/2023 school year will be accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation.
In addition, pending completion of the outcome of the full review of the School Transport Scheme, Temporary Alleviation Measures at post-primary level will be continued for the 2022/2023 school year. Under these measures, which were initially introduced in 2019, transport will provided for post-primary pupils who are eligible for transport to their nearest school and are attending their second nearest school and who applied by the 29th April and registered for a ticket by the 29thJuly.
Bus Éireann have advised that they have liaised with the family directly to seek further information in relation to their application. A ticket has now issued to the family and it should be received at their address in the coming days.
365. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Education the status of the temporary alleviation measures provided for a student (details supplied) on the bus route from Straide to Castlebar; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48060/22]
View answer366. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Education the status of the temporary alleviation measures that will be provided for two students (details supplied) on the bus route from Straide to Castlebar; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48061/22]
View answer367. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Education the status of the temporary alleviation measures that will be provided for two students (details supplied) on the bus route from Straide to Castlebar; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48062/22]
View answer368. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Education the status of the temporary alleviation measures that will be provided for two students (details supplied) on the bus route from Straide to Castlebar; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48063/22]
View answer369. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Education the status of the temporary alleviation measures that will be provided for a student (details supplied) on the bus route from Ballyvary to Castlebar; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48064/22]
View answer370. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Education the status of the temporary alleviation measures that will be provided for two students (details supplied) on the bus route from Ballyvary to Castlebar; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48065/22]
View answer371. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Education when temporary alleviation measures will be provided for a child (details supplied) on the school bus route from Straide to Castlebar who is a concessionary ticket holder; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48075/22]
View answer372. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Education when temporary alleviation measures will be provided for children (details supplied) within a household on the school bus route from Straide to Castlebar who is a concessionary ticket holder; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48076/22]
View answer373. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Education when temporary alleviation measures will be provided for children (details supplied) within a household on the school bus route from Straide to Castlebar who is a concessionary ticket holder; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48077/22]
View answer374. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Education when temporary alleviation measures will be provided for a child (details supplied) on the school bus route from Straide to Castlebar who is a concessionary ticket holder; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48078/22]
View answer375. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Education when temporary alleviation measures will be provided for a child (details supplied) on the school bus route from Straide to Castlebar who is a concessionary ticket holder; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48079/22]
View answer376. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Education if she will provide an update on the temporary alleviation measures provided for children (details supplied) on the school bus route from Ballyvary to Castlebar; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48080/22]
View answer381. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Education when temporary alleviation measures will be provided for students (details supplied) on a school bus route who are concessionary ticket holders; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48143/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 365 to 376, inclusive, and 381 together.
The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the last school year over 121,400 children, including over 15,500 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €289m in 2021.
In July 2022, Government announced funding for the waiving of school transport scheme fees for the coming school year as part of a wider package of cost of living measures.
Ticket registration for the 2022/23 school year closed on 29 July by which time almost 130,000 applications/registrations were received for mainstream school transport. This figure includes 44,299 new applications as well as roll-overs from the previous school year.
The normal eligibility criteria of the scheme still apply and tickets continue to be allocated in line with this criteria. Pupils at primary level are eligible where they live no less than 3.2 kilometres from and are attending their nearest primary school. At post primary level, students who live no less than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest post primary school/education centre are deemed eligible.
In line with normal practice, all eligible children who completed the application and ticket registration process on time for the 2022/2023 school year will be accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation.
Temporary Alleviation Measures are measures pending completion of the review of the School Transport Scheme, that was initially introduced at post-primary level in 2019 and will be continued for the 2022/2023 school year. Under these measures, transport will provided for post-primary pupils who are eligible for transport to their nearest school and are attending their second nearest school and who applied by the 29th April and registered for a ticket by the 29thJuly.
Bus Éireann has advised that the post-primary children referred to by the Deputy are all attending their third, fourth or fifth school and therefore do not meet the criteria of the Temporary Alleviation Measures mentioned above.
Bus Éireann have also advised that the primary school children referred to by the Deputy reside 1.7 km from home to their nearest school and school of attendance. These children are not eligible for school transport as they do not meet the distance criteria as set out in the primary school transport scheme.
Bus Éireann also advise that the existing school transport services are currently operating to capacity and there are no seats available and that the children referred were unsuccessful in obtaining concessionary seats for the 2022/23 school year.
Following discussions with Minister McGrath and officials in DPER as part of the budgetary process some additional funding has been approved for the scheme which will allow officials in consultation with Bus Éireann to consider and evaluate where temporary additional capacity may be available.
The initial focus will be where families applied on time and who previously held concessionary tickets, to alleviate the impact of the increased demands on the scheme for those families. However, it is important to stress that this is subject to capacity considerations. Constraints in sourcing vehicles and drivers in certain areas of the country may also mean that it may take a number of weeks to explore solutions for additional capacity.
