Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 1416: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of children who are currently not in school and are availing of the home tuition programme in each county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43692/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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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 there are currently in the region of 270 children of school going age, who are not attending school, and are availing of home tuition. The information regarding the breakdown for each county is not readily available in my Department.

The Deputy will be aware that the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000 established the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) as the single national body with responsibility for school attendance. The Act provides a comprehensive framework promoting regular school attendance and tackling the problems of absenteeism and early school leaving. The general functions of the Board are to ensure that each child attends a recognised school or otherwise receives a certain minimum education. The NEWB is a statutory agency which can assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school place for their child. The NEWB can be contacted at National Educational Welfare Board, National Headquarters, 16-22 Green Street, Dublin 7 or by telephone at 01-8738700.

As the Deputy is aware, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) came into operation on 1st January 2005. One of the specific functions of the NCSE, through its network of local special educational needs organisers (SENOs), is to ensure that there is sufficient educational provision available within the primary and post primary sector for all children with special educational needs. It is open to a parent to contact a school directly with a view to having their child enrolled.

I wish to assure the Deputy that I am most anxious that all children receive an education appropriate to their needs and in co-operation with the relevant agencies ensure that children are adequately resourced to enable them to meet their potential.