To ask the Minister of Education whether his Department has any plans to work with the Education Authority to review the exceptional circumstances policy regarding home to school transport.

The Education Authority (EA) is responsible for determining a pupil's eligibility for transport assistance in line with the Department of Education’s Home to School Transport Policy. The policy allows the EA to consider whether transport assistance should be provided in cases which fall outside the criteria where there are exceptional circumstances, but it states that such cases should be, by their very nature, exceptional.

The EA has published an Exceptional Circumstances Policy and it provides clear guidance for parents on its Transport Appeals process, which include examples of circumstances that may be considered exceptional and those which may not. Because exceptional circumstances are unique, the list of examples is not definitive and the EA must assess each case individually and consider the evidence provided by parents to determine if transport assistance should be provided.

The decisions made under the Transport Appeals process may be subject to legal scrutiny and the EA’s Exceptional Circumstances Policy and published guidance ensure that it is transparent and consistent in applying the process. I am content that the EA Transport Appeals process operates in line with the requirements of the current DE Home to School Transport Policy.