Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 104: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the mechanisms in place to monitor the number of children who do not get a place in primary or secondary school and to ensure that they do not miss out on their education as a result; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22254/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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In recent years, unprecedented levels of investment has been provided both to improve existing school facilities and to provide extra school places where they are needed. Improved forward planning has also been put in place through greater cooperation between the Department of Education and local authorities and the publication of 10-year Area Development Plans by my Department.

This combination of investment and planning has allowed extensions to be built to schools all over Ireland, while many new schools have also been built in order to meet the needs of developing areas. Construction work this year alone will deliver over 700 classrooms to provide permanent accommodation for over 17,500 pupils — mainly in developing areas.

Enrolment in individual schools is the responsibility of the managerial authority of those schools and the Department does not seek to intervene in decisions made by schools in such matters. The Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking places. This may result, however, in some pupils not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice.

Currently, under Section 29 of the Education Act 1998, parents of a student who has been refused enrolment in a school may appeal that decision to the Secretary General of this Department. Such appeals are dealt with within 30 days of their receipt. It is only where an appeal under Section 29 is upheld that the Secretary General of my Department may direct a school to enrol a pupil.

The National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) was established under the Education Welfare Act as the single statutory agency with responsibility for school attendance. The general functions of the NEWB are to ensure that each child attends a recognised school or otherwise receives a certain minimum education. The Board is developing a nationwide service that is accessible to schools, parents/guardians and others concerned with the welfare of young people. To this end the Board is available to provide assistance to parents who experience difficulty with obtaining a school place for their child.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 105: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of children who have received home tuition due to the inability to find a suitable school place for them for each of the past ten years; the breakdown of same by age group and county of residence; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22255/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy is aware that the home tuition scheme which 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 was extended in recent years to facilitate tuition for children awaiting a suitable educational placement and also to provide early educational intervention for pre-school children with autism.

The Deputy will also be aware that the National Council for Special Education is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers, for the establishment of special classes for autism and for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants to schools to support children with special needs All schools have the names and contact details of their local SENO. Parents may also contact their local SENO directly to discuss their child's special educational needs, using the contact details available on www.ncse.ie.

The information requested by the Deputy is not readily available in my Department for the period in question in the requested format. However, for the past two years, home tuition information has been maintained electronically and I have requested my Officials to send the relevant information to the Deputy directly.