Marcella Corcoran Kennedy (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 180: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will review a case regarding an overpayment of a home tuition grant calculated and paid by his Department in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31298/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Applications under the Home Tuition scheme are made to my Department by the person in whose care the child is at the time of application through their local office of the National Educational Welfare Board. In this case the National Educational Welfare Board informed my Department that home tuition was being sought for a child at primary level. My Department approved the home tuition as sought. The tutor is engaged by the person whose application has been approved. The grant is claimed in arrears by the approved person. The level of the grant is based on the number of hours of tuition provided and a rate of pay which is based on the tutor's registration status with the Teaching Council and their qualifications. Two rates of pay apply a standard rate where the tutor is both registered with the Teaching Council and qualified at the level at which the application for tuition has been made, i.e. primary or post-primary. A lower modified rate applies where the tutor does not satisfy both of these requirements. My Department inadvertently paid the home tuition grant at the post-primary standard rate and not at the modified rate. When this administrative error was identified my Department wrote to the person in whose care the child was at the time to notify them of what had happened and advising them of the arrangements for this overpayment to be recovered by offsetting it against subsequent grant payments in this case. A copy of this letter was also circulated to the tutor. My Department is satisfied that at this stage there is no overpayment or underpayment of the total amount of grant payment for this child's home tuition.