Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 October 2023
5. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education to provide a breakdown of the Budget 2024 allocation of €50 million for the school transport scheme between capital and revenue; and the details of additional capacity this will cater for and the priority for spending. [45122/23]
View answerCan the Minister provide a breakdown to the House of the budget 2024 allocation of €50 million for the school transport scheme between capital and revenue, the details of additional capacity this will cater for, and the priority for spending?
The school transport scheme is a significant operation, as the Deputy is aware. It is managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the 2022-23 school year more than 149,000 children, including more than 18,000 children with special educational needs, were transported daily to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. In addition, school transport scheme services were provided in the 2022-23 school year for more than 5,400 children who arrived to Ireland from Ukraine.
The total cost of the scheme in 2022 was in excess of €338.9 million.
As part of the budget measures for 2024, the Government announced an additional €50 million for school transport which will allow continued investment for children to access the school transport scheme. The increased investment in the scheme is due in the main to the cost of contractors to cater for the increase in pupil numbers projected in 2024. In addition, the expected increase in the scheme for children with special educational needs will result in a subsequent increase in the number of school bus escorts required. This is factored into the additional costs for 2024.
Alongside this €50 million in funding for investment in the overall scheme, a further €42 million was provided as part of the cost-of-living measures announced in budget 2024. This funding will be used to assist families with the costs of education. Reduced fees will continue to apply to school transport for the 2024-25 academic year. All funding for the school transport scheme for 2024 will be derived from core or current funding and not capital funding.
There has been a significant overall increase year on year in school transport applications and tickets issued. In 2017, the number of children availing of primary, post-primary and special educational needs transport was 116,000. However, the number of children availing of school transport in the current year has increased to approximately 152,000, an increase of 31%.
As with most, if not all, Government schemes, there are criteria governing the operation of the scheme. Pupils at primary level are eligible where they live not less than 3.2 km from and are attending their nearest primary school and, at post-primary level, not less than 4.8 km from and are attending their nearest post-primary school or education centre. Any pupils or students who do not meet these criteria are deemed not eligible - 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.
We could almost set our watches at this point for when the phones will start ringing and the emails will start coming in with school transport queries. This year was no different. In many ways, it is becoming Groundhog Day. Year in and year out, there are issues with the school transport scheme. While the €50 million is welcome, as would be any investment in school transport, we need to tackle the fundamental flaws in the scheme. It is not only Deputies on this side of the House who are raising this issue. The Minister's party colleagues are raising cases in their constituencies involving pupils who had concessionary tickets for years and are suddenly unable to get a seat on the school bus. This does not only apply to those with concessionary tickets.
I have given umpteen examples over the past few months of issues with this scheme but I will repeat one of them involving a granny driving from Clare to Dublin to mind one twin while the other could get the school bus. It is an absolute shambles and it is causing profound pressure on families. Everybody wants this scheme to work, none more so than the parents who are reliant on it. For that to happen, the review that has been ongoing for two and a half years needs to be published and actioned.
I and every Member of the House, particularly Deputies from rural constituencies, appreciate the importance of the school transport system. It is for this reason that the system is underpinned by significant funding, with almost €339 million expended last year. An additional €50 million has been provided this year to ensure greater access and to allow children to avail of school transport. This is increased investment is due in the main to the cost of contractors to cater for the increase in pupil numbers projected in 2024. We provided €42 million to keep the cost of school transport at a reduced rate, which is an important consideration for families.
As with any scheme, there must be criteria and the criteria have not changed. Students who were eligible under these criteria received a seat on a school bus, while those who were not eligible under the criteria could, if fortunate, receive a not eligible or concessionary ticket. The criteria have been unchanged for the last number of years and they have been abundantly clear.
That has not been my experience. I have a case where one brother got a ticket and the other did not. Their mother told me she would be driving behind the school bus. That is not an unusual or unique situation.
When parents contact Bus Éireann, they are met by a disregard almost for the query they have and the pressure this scheme puts them under. While I acknowledge the funding that has been provided for the scheme, the issue is with the scheme itself. Instead of repeating the problem, the Government needs to find a solution that works for everybody.
Children want to use this service and parents want their children on it. Traffic congestion in our towns and villages could be addressed with a proper service. Emissions would improve with a fit-for-purpose service and safety around our schools would rapidly increase with fewer cars on the road. Clearly, it is a win-win for everybody. However, there are fundamental flaws with the scheme and they need to be addressed. Without the review being published and actioned, we will have the same conversation here again next year and other parents will be in the same position as parents are in this year and were in last year and the year before that.
To be clear, there are eligibility criteria. Pupils who live 3.2 km from their nearest primary school or 4.8 km from their nearest or next nearest post-primary school are eligible. In relation to one child getting a ticket and the other sibling not getting one, if both children are eligible, both will get a ticket. However, if they are not eligible, concessionary tickets are provided by lottery under the present system.
A considerable body of work has been undertaken in relation to the review. This is a demand-led service, which is important. The review involved engagement with our European counterparts, bus providers, parents and guardians of children who are utilising the service and students, as well as with those who are not utilising the system but would like to do so. The work is drawing to a close and will be published shortly. It will give us a pathway forward. I want to be clear that this will demand considerable resources, bearing in mind that what the current system is resourced to the tune of €339 million.
