§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what research he has(a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the costs of free school transport in Northern Ireland; what assessment he has made of the research; and what policy proposals he has on free school transport. [15463]
§ Mr. AncramNo independent research has been commissioned. In 1992 the Department of Education established a joint Department/education and library board working party to review the arrangements for the provision of assisted home-to-school transport in Northern Ireland and, as a result of this, arrangements were put in place to monitor on-going costs. A consultation paper outlining a number of options for reducing the escalating costs of transport was issued in December 1995.
This consultation is on-going. In the interim, the existing arrangements remain unchanged.