Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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Question 77: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if home tuition will be granted to a person (details supplied) in County Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33754/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible for the provision of a range of educational services at local and national level for students with special educational needs. In particular, its network of Special Education Needs Organisers (SENOs) coordinates special needs education provision at local level and arranges for the delivery of special educational services. The SENOs act as single points of contact for parents of students with special educational needs.

Another specific function of the SENO is to identify available educational placements for children with special educational needs. SENOs are a valuable source of support to parents who are actively sourcing a placement for their children. The NCSE have been fully engaged in identifying placement options for the child in question. The NCSE has advised my Department that there is a school placement available for this child.

The purpose of the Home Tuition Scheme is to provide a compensatory educational service 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 a suitable educational placement and also to provide early educational intervention for pre-school children with autism.

I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department approved home tuition from the commencement of the current school year until the 28th October 2011 for the child concerned in order to facilitate transitional arrangements for the child to take up a school placement.

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 78: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when a person (details supplied) in Dublin 13 will receive a home tuition grant or school placement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33760/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) have been fully engaged in identifying placement options for the child in question. The NCSE has advised my Department that, irrespective of the assessed levels of ability of the child, there are schools placements available for this child. I also understand from my officials that the parents of this child have been advised of their placement options by the NCSE. It is now a matter for the parents of the child concerned to engage with the schools in question and to apply to have their child enrolled to a school.

The purpose of the Home Tuition Scheme is to provide a compensatory educational service for children who are unable to attend school for a number of reasons such as chronic illness, or for whom there are no available placements.

Home tuition was approved for the child in question by my Department from the start of the school year until the end of September 2011 as there was no available placement. Home Tuition was subsequently extended until 14th October 2011, for the purpose of completing the enrolment process. My Department may consider whether there is a requirement to extending this period further to facilitate transitional arrangements, as an exceptional measure, once a school based placement has been accepted by the parents.