Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 1760: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her views on changes to the arrangements announced late in 2006 in relation to home tuition; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3060/07]

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.

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 Deputy will appreciate, that as home tuition takes place outside of the normal school framework, there is 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.

Nominated tuition providers with qualifications other than teaching qualifications has been accepted for the first school term this year to allow time to undertake the review. In cases where the tuition provider is not approved a direction has been given to recruit a tuition provider with suitable qualifications. However my Department is prepared to facilitate parents/ guardians who experience difficulties in recruiting a tuition provider with suitable qualifications by extending the sanction with the current tuition provider until the end of the school year 2006/07 to facilitate the recruitment process.