To ask the Minister of Education to detail (i) the spend on taxi provision for pupils with a statement of special educational need in the last three academic years; and (ii) his plans to deliver more cost-effective provision which meets the needs of children using the service.

(i) My Department is responsible for the home to school transport policy and the Education Authority (EA) for its operation and delivery. The EA has provided the figures below in relation to the spend on taxi provision (including escort costs) for pupils with a statement of special educational needs (SEN) in the last three academic years.

Sept 2020-June2021Sept 2021-June 2022 Sept 2022-June 2023

£20,007,526£21,889,804£29,160,067

(ii) Transport assistance is provided to over 90k pupils travelling to and from school each day, of which around 10k have an additional transport requirement detailed in their statement of SEN. The number of children with a statement of SEN has increased significantly in recent years, as has the number of pupils requiring bespoke transport arrangements to enable them to attend school.

The EA is currently considering the inclusion of smaller vehicles within its fleet to determine if this may afford some flexibility in the delivery of SEN transport and help to move away from the heavy dependence on taxis. It is also developing proposals to improve its transport management and route planning systems to optimise the school transport network which will deliver efficiencies. My Department is committed to working with the EA to develop a more sustainable model of transport which meets the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs.