The letter of 1 November 2010 was sent in response to a letter dated 22 October 2010 received in the Department on 28th October.
The Department's response made it clear that the Department would not consider entering into arrangements with third parties regarding the approval of individual tuition for children with special needs. This remains the position today. Applications for and approval of Home Tuition are matters for the parents of children and the Department and not for third parties.
This does not mean that the Department would not facilitate parents of children who are eligible for Home Tuition who, having secured the approval of the Department, wished to enter an arrangement with a private provider and to have payments, normally due to eligible parents, made directly to that provider by agreement and at a group payment rate.
The Department's approach to the separate scenarios are not directly comparable.