To ask the Minister of Education to detail any information that has been shared with impacted schools detailing the changes to ferry and bus services for pupils using the replacement Strangford passenger ferry.

The Education Authority (EA) is responsible for the operation and delivery of home to school transport. I am advised that the EA has worked alongside colleagues from Translink and the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) Ferry Service to facilitate alternative arrangements for pupils who would normally avail of the ferry service to complete their home to school journey.

I understand that it was agreed that as the majority of queries were relating to the ferry service itself, the DfI Ferry service would lead on sharing information with schools. Initial contact was made with schools in mid-September to brief them on the plans for the works to be carried out at the ferry terminal and the proposed mitigations being considered. A further updated issued in early October and information was made available on the DfI website on 7th October and on NI Direct to confirm that Assumption Grammar School pupils would be provided with a substitute bus service and a passenger-only ferry would be in operation for pupils from other schools.

Due to the various safety steps required ahead of introducing the replacement passenger ferry which needed to be confirmed with the Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland and the Maritime & Coastguard Agency, final arrangements with regards to the timings of the replacement ferry service were not confirmed for the EA to publish until Friday 11 October. These details were shared online by DfI on the Strangford Ferry information pages, confirmed with the schools and were also published on the EA website and through its social media channels. Further communication was issued via the DfI Strangford Ferry Service text messaging service.

EA Transport ensured that a representative was on site on the first day of the alternative arrangements on Monday 14 October, ahead of the first pupils arriving at 7.30am. Representatives from Assumption Grammar School were also in attendance on Monday.