To ask the Minister of Education to outline how Home to School Transport policies support families in rural areas, where there is no safe walking route.

The purpose of my Department’s Home to School Transport policy is to facilitate pupil’s attendance at school and ensure that all children can attend a suitable school, regardless of where they live. The Policy provides vital support for rural families by facilitating funding for bus passes which in turn supports the provision of Translink bus services in rural areas. In locations where such services are unavailable, the Education Authority (EA) arranges transportation either through its own fleet or by contracting private operators.

Where parents feel that a route is not safe to walk when accompanied by an adult, they may raise these concerns with the EA. The EA has a process in place to respond to concerns over the safety of individual roads and a parent can submit a road safety appeal if they feel their child’s route is unsafe to walk. The EA will assess the route in line with Road Safety GB ‘Assessment of Walked Routes to School’ guidelines, appointing an independent road safety engineer if necessary.

I recently met with the Minister for Infrastructure and the Education Authority to discuss the safety of children on their journey to school. The safety of footpaths is within the remit of the Minister for Infrastructure; however, my Department and the EA will provide any support needed to develop measures to make the journey to school safer for children.