Special Educational Needs

93. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Education and Youth her views on the impact that changes to special education school transport and escort provision have on children with special educational needs. [74578/26]

Will the Minister of State provide an update on the impact of these ad hoc changes?

I thank the Deputy. The school transport system is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education and Youth. The National Council for Special Education acts in an advisory role to the Department on the suitability of placements for children with special educational needs. Under the terms of the school transport scheme for children with special educational needs, the Department will consider a report from the SENO. Children are deemed eligible for transport where they have special educational needs arising from diagnosed disabilities and are attending the nearest recognised mainstream school, special class or special school or a unit that can be resourced to meet their special educational needs, as identified by the SENO. Where a service has been approved by the Department, Bus Éireann is required to tender that service in line with procurement guidelines and is responsible for the allocation and vetting of a contractor to operate it. The Department and Bus Éireann are very conscious of the sensitive nature of school transport requirements for children with special educational needs and the impact that any changes to these services can have on pupils, and they will always endeavour to ensure continuity for pupils where possible. However, there are times when changes to a service may occur. This may include a change in contractor due to procurement requirements, the addition of a new pupil on the service to allow them to attend school, the appointment of a temporary or new driver or escort due to absence, or the existing driver or escort leaving their current employment. In these cases, Bus Éireann will endeavour to advise the families of these changes as soon as possible. In some cases, the changes happen at short notice. Bus Éireann aims to provide all students with a reasonable level of service. Officials in my Department are available to assist with any specific queries that the Deputy may have.

I thank the Minister of State. I fully acknowledge the work that has gone into improving our transport scheme in terms of school transport, with 180,000 children supported, 24,000 of whom are special education children. The budget, as outlined in response to a parliamentary question in September, has increased from €200 million in 2018 to €537 million. The Government has not been found wanting and I acknowledge that, but there are cases, particularly from a special education perspective, where these changes cause unnecessary stress for families. I have a concern about the level of co-ordination in the approach and ask that, whether involving the school transport provider, the SENO, the school or the family, there be a greater consensus arrived at before a decision is made, given that the impact is materially greater than it is in normal circumstances. Every provision needs to be made before that decision is made.

It is important that, when discussing education for children with special educational needs, we are providing the most appropriate services. As with the previous question from Deputy Ó Fearghaíl, we must consider the time that children with additional needs are travelling on buses. It is vital that we continue to reduce the time that they are on the buses or whatever transport that is provided for them. Children with additional educational requirements travelling over an hour to and from school is not acceptable. We have to make sure that we are reducing that. With Bus Éireann, we are putting a huge amount of resources into this. The Deputy raised a case with us recently. I may update him afterwards in relation to that. The fundamental issues that the Deputy has raised are not lost on me. We have to have all concerned making the right decision for the pupils.

I fully agree. A safe, familiar and routine means of transport is important to these children. It is also important that we clarify the means of appeal in such scenarios so that we can give that element of reassurance to parents. In the last couple of seconds I have, I want to raise the importance of the increased budget that the Department has in 2027 for school transport provision and the need to provide for areas that have been affected. In my area, the likes of Shinrone, Mountheaton and Killavilla are served by the school in Birr but it is not necessary the closest school. Many pupils, by closest proximity, should be going to Roscrea. It is a different county and province. Birr is their natural fit. I ask that every measure be taken in the coming months to try to make provision for the children and the families of the Shinrone, Mountheaton and Killavilla areas to ensure that all of them are accommodated in their preference to attend the Birr school in September 2027.

We are spending a lot of money on the school transport system. For the 2026-27 school year, it will be somewhere in the region of over €670 million. We have a number of flashpoints across the country that are very difficult to resolve or where we are unable to resolve issues for pupils and get them tickets for buses to mainstream classes and so forth. We are looking at how best we can integrate into the public transport system. The public transport system is not well served within rural Ireland, so we are talking about the school buses but also Local Link. Engagement has commenced between myself, the Minister, Hildegarde Naughton, the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht and the Minister for Transport as to how best we can implement this. One arm is providing a transport system. We want to see whether we can have an overall transport system that gives everyone their choice and a route to school.