Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 357: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if, in the interest of aiding parents, she will consider the compilation of a register of qualified teachers offering home tuition services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43551/06]

Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
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Question 370: To ask the Minister for Education and Science further to Parliamentary Question No. 444 of 28 November 2006, if she will allow a period for such teachers to gain the required qualification to satisfy her Departmental rules; if she will postpone the implementation of the trained primary school teacher rule beyond January 2007; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43680/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 357 and 370 together.

As the Deputies are aware 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.

Having reviewed a number of applications for home tuition, details regarding the qualifications of some of the proposed tuition providers gave rise to concern. The Deputies will appreciate, that as home tuition takes place outside of the normal school framework, 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. A comprehensive review of qualifications has taken place in consultation with my Department's Inspectorate resulting in a definitive list of qualifications acceptable under the scheme as appropriate to the individual pupils. In this context the clarity that now exists in relation to qualifications should assist the parents concerned in sourcing suitable tutors and there are no current plans to compile a data base of tuition providers.

Nominated tuition providers with qualifications other than teaching qualifications had been accepted for the first school term this year to allow time to undertake the review. Officials in my Department are currently communicating the status of the tuition providers to the parents concerned. In cases where the tuition provider is not approved a direction is being given to recruit a tuition provider with suitable qualifications. However my Department is prepared to facilitate parents/guardians who experience difficulties in this regard by extending the sanction with the current tuition provider until the end of this school year to facilitate the recruitment process.

It is important to stress that the allocation of tuition hours under the scheme was never at issue in the context of the review of qualifications in this regard.