Thursday, 15 Feb 2024

School Transport

Questions (201)

Robert Troy

Question:

201. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education if she will give an outline of the school bus lottery system for concessionary seats, outlining in full how seats are allocated through this system. [7181/24]

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Written answers

Minister for Education

The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 161,600 children, including over 135,000 pupils travelling on primary and post primary services, 19,800 pupils with special educational needs, and 6,800 pupils who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country.

The total cost of the scheme in 2023 was €382.02m.

There has been an overall increase in both applications and tickets issued for the 2023/2024 school year in comparison to the 2022/2023 school year.

Under the current terms of the scheme, 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. Any children 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.

The priority order in which tickets are allocated by Bus Éireann in any given year is as follows:

Tickets are allocated to all eligible pupils who apply and pay on time.

Tickets are allocated to late eligible applicants if the selection process has not taken place for concessionary applicants. This selection process takes place within a few days of tickets being allocated to eligible pupils who apply and pay on time. If an application/payment is received for an eligible child after the payment deadline (a “late eligible”) but before the selection process takes place for concessionary applicants, the late eligible is given priority over concessionary applicants.

Tickets are allocated to concessionary applicants who apply and pay on time (a selection process takes place and seats are allocated until service is full. Those pupils who are unsuccessful in getting a seat are given a refund on the cost of their ticket).

Where capacity remains once all eligible applicants are catered for, the selection process for allocating tickets to concessionary applicants is as follows: Using the Family ID as a reference, first priority is given to all existing concessionary applicants (whether they had seats or not in the last school year) who have paid by the deadline date for payments plus siblings of these pupils provided they also have paid by the deadline date. Second priority is all new applicants who applied and paid by the deadline dates (i.e. those applying for transport for the first time). Finally, all other applicants (for example late applicants/payees).

School Transport

Questions (202)

Robert Troy

Question:

202. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education if she will give an update on the review of the school bus system. [7182/24]

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Written answers

Minister for Education

The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 161,600 children, including over 135,000 pupils travelling on primary and post primary services, 19,800 pupils with special educational needs, and 6,800 pupils who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country.

The total cost of the scheme in 2023 was €382.02m.

There has been an overall increase in both applications and tickets issued for the 2023/2024 school year in comparison to the 2022/2023 school year.

Under the current terms of the scheme, 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. Any children 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.

Undoubtedly, the School Transport Scheme is of huge importance to families, the review has been conducted with a view to examining the current scheme, its broader effectiveness, and sustainability and to ensure it services students and their families adequately. Considering how to best maximise the benefits now and into the future has been a significant factor in the review of the Scheme which commenced in February 2021.

Following phase 1 of the review, Temporary Alleviation Measures (TAMS) were introduced at post-primary level and are being continued for the current school year. Under these measures, which were initially introduced in 2019, transport is provided where there is a route in operation and where capacity exists for concessionary post-primary pupils who are eligible for transport to their nearest school and are attending their second nearest school and who applied and paid on time.

There has been an extensive stakeholder engagement process, including consultation with parents, students, providers, and other key stakeholders, as part of this engagement we consulted with families who use the scheme, who would like to use the scheme and also with young people with special educational needs and mainstream students. The results from the stakeholder engagement with parents and children illustrated the importance of school transport to families with most indicating it is a safe and reliable service which helps families to live and work in rural Ireland. Another important finding of the stakeholder engagement process was that the Special Educational Needs Transport Scheme supports many children in attending specialist school placements which they may otherwise may not be able to attend.

An analysis of school transport schemes in other jurisdictions was also conducted as part of this stakeholder engagement and review process including the EU, the UK, the United States and Australia. This research and analysis outlined the evidence in terms of the need for a school transport service in an Irish context compared to some comparative countries as well as an analysis of the costs to users of school transport services in some other jurisdictions.

The Technical Working Group and the Steering Group have recently completed their work on the final report of the review. This final report includes recommendations on the future operation of the scheme.

I am aware that this review is much-awaited, it is recognised that there are improvements which need to be made to the scheme and I know the importance of doing so. I expect to be in a position shortly to bring the review to government, and further to government approval, the review will be published.

School Facilities

Questions (203)

Brian Stanley

Question:

203. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Education the progress on the provision of a sports gym at a school (details supplied) following her meeting with local Deputies and school representatives. [7195/24]

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Written answers

Minister for Education

The purpose of my Department's Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream and special education classroom accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year and where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation or by available accommodation at other schools in the area.

I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department received an ASA application from the school in question. A project was approved to deliver 4 Mainstream classrooms and 2 Special Education Classrooms under my Departments modular framework. A request for a PE Hall/Sports Gym does not come within the remit of the ASA scheme.

Investment and expenditure on Sports Gyms is an element of the overall School Building Programme. The provision of GP rooms and PE Halls/Sports Gyms, at primary and post primary level respectively, and outdoor hard play areas, form part of the accommodation brief for all new school buildings.

Almost 95% of the post primary schools that made 2020 Annual Schools Returns have indicated to the Department that they either have a PE Hall/Sports gym, access to a nearby PE Hall/Sports Gym, or a project in train that will deliver a new PE Hall/sports gym. Practically all schools have outdoor play areas and many schools use adjacent local facilities, including community halls, public parks, playing fields and swimming pools.

Since 2020, my Department has invested in the region of €4.3 billion in our schools throughout the country, including the completion of over 750 school building projects with construction currently underway at approximately 300 other projects, which includes 34 new school buildings.

School building projects at construction involve an overall State investment of over €1.2 billion. We also have a large modular accommodation programme delivering urgently needed school places.

This is a record level of investment in our schools and highlights the Government’s very strong track record of delivery in providing additional capacity and modern facilities for our school communities.

A future strengthened focus on refurbishment of existing school stock will have different strands and will include a PE build/Sports gym and modernisation programme which will enable students in post-primary schools to have access to appropriate facilities to support PE provision, particularly also in the context of the roll-out of PE as a leaving-certificate subject. Enhanced and modernised PE facilities will also provide important amenities for local communities.

However, the main focus of the Department’s capital funding over the last decade and for the coming period is on provision of critical additional capacity to cater for increasing demographics and children with special education needs.

The Department is required to manage the overall school building programme so that we target and prioritise areas that are under greatest pressure for additional school places. This reflects the Department’s fundamental objective of ensuring the availability of a school place for every child.

The overall position with regard to potential modernisation and replacement of existing school infrastructure will be kept under review as capital funding allocations for future years are clarified.

The Department has to prioritise its limited capital resources, in the context both of the ongoing requirement for additional school places, including SEN places, and the high construction inflation which has significantly impacted on the cost of projects that we must deliver.

My Department has met with school representatives regarding the school’s application for a PE Hall. My Department is open to exploring with the patron any alternative funding opportunities for the provision of a PE Hall at the school.

School Facilities

Questions (204)

Brian Stanley

Question:

204. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Education to provide an update on the possibility of using funding from her Department, the Department of Rural and Community Development, and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to provide a sports hall at a school (details supplied). [7196/24]