Access to school and college transport for disabled young people

That this House recognises that disabled young people often have to travel further than other pupils to get the right education or college place; notes that they are less likely than other pupils to travel to school or college independently; expresses concern that, as the law stands, a young person is expected to be in school or training until the age of 18, but once they turn 16 they lose their school or college transport even if they stay on at the same school and their needs have not changed; further notes that problems with school and college transport sometimes mean that some disabled young people are unable to learn or to complete their education and that parents have had to give up their jobs to transport their children to school; acknowledges that some councils offer discretionary transport; regrets that an increasing number of these councils are cutting funding for discretionary transport as they try to balance the books; calls on the Government to consider a review of the age-eligibility requirements for SEND transportation services; further calls on the Government to examine ways of reducing the pressures placed on local authorities by the costs of providing SEND home-to-school transport, while ensuring that the quality of transport provision and educational access is not diminished; and also calls on the Government to exempt SEND transportation services from the increase in National Insurance contributions to reduce the financial burden on local authorities and transport providers.