Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 93: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she will continue to pay home tuition grants to parents of children with autism who wish to use those grants to provide an ABA educational programme for their children delivered by persons with ABA, rather than education qualifications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40135/06]

Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
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Question 444: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if autistic children in receipt of Department funded home tuition will have to discontinue home tuition from their current provider in order to employ a Department recognised trained primary school teacher from January 2007; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40290/06]

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 461: To ask the Minister for Education and Science when she will publish the qualification guidelines for those supporting home tuition grants for children with autism; the consultation that has been done prior to drafting the guidelines; the way it is anticipated that it will impact on parents seeking such support; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40410/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 93, 444 and 461 together.

The Deputy will be aware that the home tuition scheme provides funding to parents to provide education at home for children who, for a number of reasons such as chronic illness, are unable to attend school. The scheme was extended in recent years to facilitate tuition for children awaiting a suitable educational placement.

I wish to advise the Deputy that the scheme itself has not changed. However, on review of a number of applications for home tuition, details concerning the qualifications of some of the proposed tuition providers gave rise to concern. As home tuition takes place outside of the normal school framework, the Deputy will appreciate the need to ensure that tuition providers are appropriately qualified to give education to the children concerned. The usual requirement is a fully qualified teacher. However, other qualifications are acceptable depending on the individual needs of the child. In this context a review of qualifications is underway in consultation with my Department's inspectorate.

Nominated tuition providers with qualifications other than teaching qualifications have been accepted for the first school term this year to allow time to establish the suitability of the range of qualifications submitted. I understand that officials in my Department expect to be in contact with all parents concerned next week who will be informed of the decision which will result in approval for subsequent terms of the nominated tuition provider or direction to recruit a tuition provider with suitable qualifications. It is important to stress that the allocation of tuition hours under the scheme is not at issue in the context of the review of qualifications in this regard.