Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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194. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 471 to 475, inclusive, of 7 October 2014, in view of her reply that her Department has facilitated parents who have sought alternative arrangements by putting such arrangements in place, the reason there is no mention of this option within her Department’s circular 0048/2014, dated June 2014; and the way all parents of children with autism who apply for the home tuition scheme are supposed to find out about this possible option especially if they live in a part of the country where the one private commercial organisation is not operating. [39606/14]

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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195. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 471 to 475, inclusive, of 7 October 2014, in view of her confirmation that her Department was aware of other groups of parents of children receiving home tuition who were seeking similar arrangements at the same time as the exception was made for the one private commercial organisation over five years ago; if she will confirm the number of other groups of parents came to the attention of her Department at that time; and if she will confirm the number of those groups of parents who subsequently received a similar agreement to that concluded with the private commercial organisation and the date upon which those agreements were concluded. [39607/14]

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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196. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 471 to 475, inclusive, of 7 October 2014, if she will confirm that the agreement with the one private commercial provider was made over five years ago and renewed annually thereafter; if she will further confirm that for over five years up until 1 July 2013 no other organisation was offered a similar agreement by her Department; and the reason this situation was allowed to continue for over five years. [39608/14]

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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197. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 471 to 475, inclusive, of 7 October 2014, the statutory basis for engaging the services of one private commercial provider over the past five years in view of the reply that her Department has no contract in place with the provider and in view of the fact that the terms of the agreement with that private commercial provider are not in line with the published terms of operation for the home tuition scheme. [39609/14]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 194 to 197, inclusive, together.

As previously outlined, parents of children who are eligible for home tuition who sought alternative arrangements to be put in place for the tuition were facilitated and arrangements were put in place with private commercial organisations which provide group tuition to children in a class type setting. Payment in these cases is made directly to the service provider and is calculated on a group rate basis. However such arrangements are not a feature of the scheme and therefore not referenced in the annual Home Tuition Circular.

Where parents of children who are eligible for home tuition have sought alternative arrangements my Department has responded. I wish to clarify for the Deputy that my Department is not aware of other groups of parents having come to the attention of my Department over five years ago in relation to group arrangements for home tuition. There are now arrangements in place with 6 private commercial organisations which provide group tuition in a class type setting for children for whom home tuition has been approved.

The Home Tuition Scheme does not have a separate statutory basis and is not an alternative to school. It is provided for children with a special educational need seeking an educational placement, as an interim measure, until a school placement has been identified. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is available to assist parents experiencing difficulties in this regard. The arrangements in place with private providers are clear that where school placements are found for participating children the providers will support the child's integration into the school setting.