Pádraic McCormack (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Question 161: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she will consider extending the tuition grant for persons with learning difficulties; if additional speech and therapy facilities will be provided; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16767/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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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 of their attendance at school. In this context, my Department provides home tuition grants to pupils who cannot attend school at all or are absent for a significant proportion of the school year. Furthermore, while children are awaiting a suitable educational placement, my Department sanctions home tuition as an interim measure, if appropriate.

In addition, my Department also sanctions home tuition grants for children with autism for whom a home-based applied behavioural analysis programme is considered appropriate or in cases where such children are awaiting an appropriate school placement.

Home tuition is only intended as an interim measure and my Department considers that school-based education provision is the most appropriate intervention for pupils with special educational needs. Therefore, my Department has no plans to extend the scheme to cater for children with learning difficulties.

The issue raised by the Deputy in relation to additional speech therapy facilities is a matter for my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children.