Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 October 2022
428. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Education if she will review the current system for designating catchment areas for the school transport services to factor in an element of feeder schools being taken into consideration. [51349/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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. The cost of the scheme in 2021 was €289m.
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.
A number of changes to the School Transport Scheme were introduced in Budget 2011, which derived from recommendations in the Value for Money Review of the Scheme. These changes encompassed a number of elements including the cessation of catchment boundary area to determine eligibility at post primary level.
Under the current eligibility criteria, pupils at primary level are eligible where they live no less than 3.2 kilometres from and are attending their nearest primary school having regard to ethos and language. Students at post-primary level are eligible where they live no 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.
As the Deputy may be aware my Department commenced a review of the School Transport Scheme in February 2021. The review is being conducted with a view to examining the current scheme, its broader effectiveness and sustainability, and to ensure that it serves students and their families adequately.
The scope of the review encompasses the School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs and the Primary and Post-Primary School Transport Schemes in terms of how each element of the schemes currently operate, to include eligibility criteria, trends, costs and cost drivers, and overall effectiveness in meeting the objectives of the schemes.
Wider considerations relating to operation of the scheme are now taking place in the second phase of the review. It is anticipated that the completion of the final phases of the review will be in the shortest timeframe possible.
