AQW 52332/22-27

Mrs Michelle Guy
Alliance Party
Lagan Valley

Tabled Date: 17/09/2026
Answered On Date: 05/10/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Education to detail anyone authorised to provide medical evidence in support of an application for home-to-school transport on medical grounds, including whether evidence from a (i) GP; (ii) consultant; (iii) community paediatrician; (iv) allied health professional; or (v) other clinician, can be accepted.

Answer:

The Education Authority (EA) has advised that parents of pupils in receipt of transport assistance who cannot travel on their normal transport mode for a period due to a diagnosed medical need, can request for their mode of transport to be reviewed.

Parents of pupils who require alternative transport for a temporary period, for example due to a fracture, may provide evidence from their General Practitioner. Parents of pupils with a long term or chronic medical condition which impacts their mobility and ability to access their assigned transport mode are asked to submit evidence from their child’s Consultant Paediatrician or the Community Consultant Paediatrician.

The EA may also review a pupil’s eligibility for transport assistance on the basis of exceptional circumstances, including where professionals have raised serious concerns in relation to their mental health. In these circumstances, information will be considered from a Consultant Paediatrician, Community Consultant Paediatrician, Child Psychiatrist, Clinical Psychologist or CAMHS.

Further information on alternative transport applications due to medical needs and exceptional circumstances may be accessed on the EA’s website:

Alternative Transport Applications Due to Medical Needs | Education Authority Northern Ireland

and

Exceptional Circumstances Policy 2026.docx