Seán Sherlock
Ceist:140. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will address a matter (details supplied) regarding school transport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11788/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 23 June 2020
Ceisteanna (140)
Freagraí scríofa
School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education and Skills.
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.
In the current school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, are transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost of over €219m in 2019.
The type of vehicle required for use on School Transport Scheme services is determined by the specific capacity requirements for each route and the roadways that the vehicle will be expected to travel on. It is also determined by the individual requirements of the child involved, as is the case in relation to the provision of transport for children with Special Educational Needs.
Bus Éireann has confirmed that in relation to vehicle testing standards, all large public service vehicles operating in the state, must meet the minimum statutory requirements of the Road Safety Authority’s Commercial Vehicle Roadworthiness test and are subject to roadside inspection by the Authority to ensure that they have a current roadworthiness certificate at the time of roadside inspection. Each vehicle must also have a valid Public Service Vehicle (PSV) licence issued by a PSV Officer of An Garda Síochána following inspection. This inspection is particularly relevant in the case of any proposed modifications to vehicles.
Both of these legal requirements are verified by Bus Éireann before any vehicle is permitted to be added to the nominated fleet of any contractor seeking to provide services under the School Transport Scheme. In addition to the statutory requirements, Bus Éireann arranges for additional examinations of vehicles operating under the School Transport Scheme - which are both targeted and random. These additional quality assurance checks are carried out by an independent agency on behalf of Bus Éireann.
All operators successfully awarded contracts to operate School Transport Scheme services by Bus Éireann must meet their contractual obligations set out in respect of vehicle safety, safety inspections and maintenance systems.
With regard to the re-opening of schools for the 2020/21 academic year, my Department is currently engaging intensively with Bus Éireann, the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport and the National Transport Authority on the logistical considerations that arise from public health advice in planning for the reopening of schools. The operation of school transport services in September 2020 will be informed by the outcome of this planning for re-opening schools.