To ask the Minister of Education what plans he has to review the Home to School Transport policy.

A review of the Home to School Transport Policy commenced in 2018, however this was paused, by the then Minister due to the pandemic and further suspended pending the outcome of The Independent Review of Education.

The transport policy supports other policies within the Department, such as parental preference and Special Educational Needs (SEN).

My Department is currently considering the report published by the Independent Review of Education and work is progressing on an end-to-end review of SEN. Work is also underway on an action plan arising from the EA Landscape Review, to include detailed consideration of the operational delivery of services such as school transport.

It is important that any review of the Home to School Transport Policy complements and can build on the outcomes from these workstreams and it is in this context that I will consider the utility and timing of a new separate review of the transport policy. Given the very significant budgetary pressures facing my Department I will also need to consider the affordability of any changes to the transport policy that would result in the widening of the criteria to access transport provision.