Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 483: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the qualification criteria in place within his Department for tutors employed by parents to provide home tuition; the criteria regarding rates of pay for same by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7175/09]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will be aware that the home tuition scheme provides a grant to parents to facilitate the provision of 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 an educational placement and to provide early intervention for pre-school children with autism.

The Deputy will appreciate that as the tuition takes place outside of school supervision there is a need to ensure that the tuition provider is a fully qualified teacher. However if it is not possible to recruit a tuition provider with a teaching qualification then alternative qualifications are acceptable as an interim measure until such time as a qualified teacher is recruited. A list of relevant qualifications may be sourced on my Department's website on www.education.ie. The current hourly rate of payment is €44.33 for a qualified primary teacher and €49.60 for a qualified post primary teacher. Tutors who are not qualified teachers are paid at a rate of €30.49 per hour.