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Most outstanding school taxi contracts provisionally awarded, Northern Ireland’s Education Minister says
Education Minister Paul Givan told the Assembly that 62 home-to-school taxi contracts were progressing through the Education Authority’s evaluation process at the middle of September. The contracts affected 135 pupils whose transport arrangements had not then been confirmed.
Responding to DUP MLA Maurice Bradley, who asked about provision for children with disabilities and special educational needs in East Londonderry, Mr Givan said the EA was responsible for delivering home-to-school transport and arranging safe journeys for pupils with additional needs.
“The EA has advised that the large majority of those contracts have now been provisionally awarded and are awaiting completion of the required compliance checks,” he said.
Mr Bradley asked for an update on the outstanding contracts, citing the rural nature of his constituency and the distances some children travel to reach specialist provision.
The Minister said the EA considered transport for pupils with a statement of special educational needs on an individual basis. It also considered requests for alternative arrangements when a pupil’s medical condition or mobility needs required additional support.
Transport assistance can include the EA’s yellow bus fleet, which has wheelchair-accessible vehicles, Translink passes and services procured from private operators. Mr Givan said the EA specifies wheelchair access or other specialist requirements when contracting private operators.
He said financial support could be provided to parents where no bus, EA fleet vehicle or taxi was available, but described that option as “suboptimal”. The EA, he said, was continuing to make transport provision available to affected families.
Mr Givan linked transport pressures to the distances pupils travel and the availability of specialist school places. He said the department had mapped out a 10-year plan for capital investment in the special school estate, and that he had submitted a paper to the Executive proposing dedicated funding for specialist provision.
During the exchange, SDLP MLA Colin McGrath raised accessibility at Lecale Trinity Grammar School, saying some disabled pupils had to walk around the building because there were no ramps to reach certain areas.
He said the issue affected access to education, particularly in bad weather.
Mr Givan said he had visited the school and would raise the matter with the EA before reporting back to Mr McGrath.
Given said: “The position at the middle of September was that there were 62 contracts progressing through the EA's evaluation process. That was affecting 135 pupils whose taxi transport arrangements had not, at that point, been confirmed.
“However, the EA has advised that the large majority of those contracts have now been provisionally awarded and are awaiting completion of the required compliance checks. Obviously, financial support — a payment — can be provided to parents in circumstances where there is not a bus, an EA fleet bus or taxi provision. However, that is suboptimal, and, therefore, the EA is continuing to make provision available for those families.”
