Vol. 395 No. 1
21 Mr. Farrelly asked the Minister for Education if she will review the number of school transport buses for children who are attending special schools throughout the country having regard to the fact that at present these children are spending long hours on these journeys; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
Placing additional buses on the routes in question would only bring about a marginal improvement in the standard of service.
The long journey times in question are due predominantly to the geographical dispersion of relatively small numbers of pupils over large areas. The long journeys cannot be avoided due to the desirability, supported by the wishes of parents, of catering for pupils in special day schools or classes rather than in residential facilities.
As the Deputy will be aware, school transport for children attending special schools is provided free of charge. My Department spend three times as much on average in transporting a pupil to a special school or class as to transport an ordinary pupil to school. For example, in the case of mentally handicapped pupils, over £3 million was spent on their transport in 1988. This was 11 per cent of the total budget of £28 million, whereas that category of pupils only accounts for 4 per cent of the total number in receipt of transport.
