Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 444: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to the difficulties that parents of children attending a special needs school (details supplied) in County Cork are encountering in finding suitably qualified teachers to provide tuition under his Department's July provision programme for special schools; and his views on allowing special needs assistants to give the tuition under the scheme. [19869/08]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will be aware the July Education Programme is available to all special schools and mainstream primary schools with special classes catering for children with autism who choose to extend their education services through the month of July. My Department also provides for a July Programme for pupils with a severe/profound general learning disability. My Department encourages all eligible schools to participate in this initiative in the interest of the children in question. There has been a steady increase in the number of schools offering the programme since it was introduced in 2001 when relevant schools were circulated with details.

Where school based provision is not feasible, home based provision may be grant aided. 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. My Department's qualification preference is for a fully qualified teacher. Where parents cannot recruit a fully qualified teacher, then some alternative qualifications are acceptable including certain Montessori qualifications. Details in this regard are published on my Department's web site.