Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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353. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the position in regard to his Department's guidelines for children's home schooling for two days a week, while they attend school for the other three days; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7914/15]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The statutory Education Welfare Service has specific responsibility for the Child and Family Agency’s general function to ensure that each child attends a recognised school or otherwise receives a certain minimum education.

Section 14 (2) of the Education (Welfare) Act 2000 provides: ‘Where a parent chooses to educate, or to have educated, his or her child in a place other than a recognised school he or she shall, in accordance with this section, apply to the Child and Family Agency to have the child concerned registered in the register’. The Agency has a statutory obligation to maintain a register of all children in receipt of education in a place other than a recognised school. Section 14 further sets out the obligations of parents in this regard and the form of the application and information to be provided with the application for the child to be included in the register.

The Agency has advised that under Section 14(17) a child may not be on the register of a recognised school, while registered under Section 14 of the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000.

If the Deputy has a particular situation that has been brought to his attention, the Agency has advised that it would be happy to arrange a briefing for him on its full responsibilities in such cases.