Louise O'Reilly
Question:71. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Education if she will address delays in the home tuition grant which are causing dire financial difficulties for a school (details supplied). [8161/24]
View answerWednesday, 21 February 2024
Questions (71)
Written answers
The purpose of the Home Tuition Grant Scheme is to provide funding towards the provision of a compensatory educational service for children who, for a number of specific reasons, are unable to attend school. The terms of this scheme are set out in circular 24/2023 which is available on the Government of Ireland website: www.gov.ie/en/circular/67f37-home-tuition-grant-scheme-20232024-special-education-component/
Payments to group providers of home tuition, such as the facility concerned, are made directly to the provider on a monthly basis in arrears in accordance with my Department’s policy in this regard. Claim forms are to be submitted to my Department at the end of the month in which tuition has been provided and every effort is made to process these claims as soon as possible after the claim form is received from the facility. However, delays may be experienced from time to time if forms are incomplete or not submitted promptly by the provider. I can assure the deputy that every effort is being made to keep any delays to a minimum. The claim submitted by the facility in question in respect of home tuition for December 2023 has been fully processed and paid. The claim for January 2024 was received on February 8th 2024. This will be processed within the standard timeframe for the processing of correctly completed claim forms which is four to five weeks from the date of receipt.