John McGuinness
Question:244. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a home tuition grant will continue to be paid in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny. [7548/14]
View answerTuesday, 18 February 2014
Questions (244)
Written answers
I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has received and processed an application for Home Tuition in respect of the child to whom the Deputy is referring.
In accordance with the terms of the scheme, my Department has sanctioned 10 hours tuition up to 30 March 2014, increasing to 20 hours on 31 March 2014, the date on which the child reaches her 3rd Birthday. The tuition has been sanctioned up to 27 June 2014, the end of the 2013/14 academic year. I can also confirm that my Department has recently issued an advance payment of the grant to the parents, which covers the period to the end of the year. However, the Deputy may wish to note that when a child with an ASD diagnosis reaches the age of 3, they are eligible for enrolment in an early intervention ASD Unit. If such a placement were to become available in this case, then the child will no longer be eligible for Home Tuition and payment of the grant would cease. This is set out clearly in Circular 0006/2013 which is available on my Department's website - www.education.ie - and which contains the terms of the Home Tuition Scheme in the current academic year. In this regard, I understand that officials in the Special Education Section of my Department have made contact with the Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO) for the area in which this child is residing and I am pleased to advise you that there are currently a number of vacancies available to this child when he reaches his 3rd Birthday. I would suggest that the parents should contact their SENO for details of these vacancies and to allow the Home Tuition hours currently sanctioned to be used to transition the child into the identifiec placement.