John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Question 564: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if the 20 hour home tuition per week for five weeks granted in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny will be continued until such time as an appropriate placement is found for them; if she will expedite a response to the family; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11373/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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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.

In the case referred to by the Deputy home tuition has been sanctioned for the child in question until the end of April 2007. The Deputy will be aware that a specific function of the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is to identify appropriate educational placements for all children with special educational needs. The family concerned is liaising with the relevant SENO to identify a placement for their child and any extension of tuition allocation will be considered in the context of progress in this regard.