1104. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will engage with Bus Éireann regarding the length of time being taken to respond to correspondence from Oireachtas members and constituency offices on school transport matters; whether she is concerned about the delays and non-responses being experienced by families and their public representatives; the measures being taken to improve communication and response times; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57789/26]

The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education and Youth, that has expanded significantly over the past six years. In that time, the numbers of children and young people using the service have grown from under 120,000 pupils in 2018 to over 181,000 pupils including over 24,000 pupils with Special Educational Needs in 2025 which equates to an increase of over 50%. Since 2018, investment in the scheme has more than doubled, from €200 million to €537 million.

My Department meets regularly with Bus Eireann officials on operational matters in relation to the School Transport scheme and I have instructed my officials to raise this matter with Bus Eireann at the next operational meeting

School Transport Section of my Department may also be contacted through the Case Management System which can be accessed by following this link; cs.education.gov.ie.