Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

The home tuition scheme is primarily intended to provide compensatory instruction for pupils who have a medical ailment that is likely to cause major disruption to their attendance at school. In this context, my Department provides home tuition grants in respect of pupils who cannot attend school at all or who are absent for a significant proportion of the school year. I stress that children who meet these criteria will continue to qualify for home tuition.

The 100 cases to which Deputy refers, however, concern children attending school on a full-time basis. While my Department sanctions home tuition in cases where children are awaiting a suitable school placement, it is considered that school-based education provision is the most appropriate intervention for all children. In recent years there has been a major expansion in school-based provision for children with autism. A total of 159 special classes for children with autism attached to special schools and mainstream schools have been created, 15 pre-school classes for children with autism have been set up and my Department is currently funding 12 autism-specific facilities, operating on a pilot basis.

The newly established National Council for Special Education and its team of 71 special educational needs organisers is also working across the country to ensure that new services are put in place where needed so that autistic children have access to appropriate school-based provision. With this substantial improvement in school-based services for autistic children, it is no longer considered necessary to give home tuition grants to children who are in full-time education.

There are approximately 100 children with autism who are in full-time educational placements and have continued to receive home tuition grants. These children are enrolled in special school or special class placements or are attending mainstream schools with additional supports, as appropriate. My Department has written to these pupils' parents confirming its intention to discontinue the practice of sanctioning home tuition grants for pupils who are in full-time education. This has also been communicated to the pupils' schools. These cases have been referred to the local special educational needs organisers with a view to them ensuring that each child is getting the appropriate support at school. My Department sanctioned the continuance of the home tuition grant for these pupils until 10 February to allow the special educational needs organisers time to ensure that this is the case. Each pupil's individual circumstances is being considered by the organisers and future provision will reflect individual needs.

See this speech in context