Bobby Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Question 192: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will accept the application for home tuition in respect of a child (details supplied) in County Kilkenny and accept the tuition provider proposed for home tuition. [24190/09]

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.

It is in the interests of children to expect that home tutors funded under this scheme are appropriately qualified tuition providers. It is for this reason that tuition providers will be required to meet the minimum qualification standard. Twenty hours tuition per week has been sanctioned for the child in question. The proposed tuition providers do not appear to meet the qualification requirement and further information has been sought in this regard.