Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children qualified for help with the cost of home to school transport in each local authority in each year since 2017.

The Department does not collect the information requested. The legal responsibility for providing free home to school transport sits with Local Authorities. Local Authorities will hold any data on the number of children receiving support in their areas.

In terms of eligibility criteria, Local Authorities must provide free home to school transport for children of compulsory school age who attend their nearest school and cannot walk there due to distance, route safety, or because of special educational needs, disability, or mobility problems. There are additional rights to free transport for low-income families aimed at helping them exercise school choice, known as ‘extended rights’. Local Authorities also have a discretionary power to provide free or subsidised home to school transport for other children.