Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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380. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of people registered for home schooling in each of the past five years, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3414/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Section 14 (1) of the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000, requires Tusla to maintain a register of children being educated in a place other than a recognised school. Parents of such children must complete a registration and assessment process for inclusion on the register. This legal requirement exists to support parents in their constitutional right as the primary educator of their child.

To meet its obligations under this legislation, the Alternative Education Assessment and Registration Service (AEARS) in Tusla carries out an assessment to ensure that when a parent applies to have their child placed on the register that child is in receipt of a certain minimum education.

Tusla publishes an annual report each year and it contains details of the number of children on the register for home education. The annual reports for 2018 to 2021 can be found on the publications section on Tusla's website at - Annual Reports Tusla - Child and Family Agency The published data in relation to the number of children on the register for home education from the 2018 to 2021 annual reports is provided in the table below.

Tusla also publishes monthly and quarterly performance and activity reports. The latest such report indicates that as at the end of October 2022, 1,924 children are on the register for home education. The reports can be found under the publications section on Tusla's website at – Performance and Activity data;- 2022 Performance Data Tusla - Child and Family Agency.