Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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190. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of families with deaf children who are availing of his Department's home tuition scheme; and the steps his Department is currently taking to advertise this scheme to the public. [28547/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department provides a Home Tuition scheme which provides a compensatory educational service for children who, for a number of reasons such as chronic illness, are unable to attend school. The scheme also provides a compensatory educational service for children with special educational needs seeking an educational placement.

My Department also provides for a weekly Irish Sign Language (ISL) home tuition service, whereby tutors visit the homes of Deaf and hard of hearing pre-school children and school-going pupils, in order to provide training in Irish Sign Language for these children, their siblings and parents.

I can advise the Deputy that during the 2015-2016 school year there were 205 families availing of Irish Sign Language Tuition, in respect of 228 children. Details of this scheme are available on my Departments website at www.education.ie.

I can also advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education has recently published a parental information leaflet for parents of children who are Deaf of Hard of Hearing, which provides details of the supports which are available for such children, including details of the ISL home tuition service.

Details of this parental information leaflet can be found at: