Special Educational Needs Service Provision

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 May 2015

Tuesday, 26 May 2015

Ceisteanna (810)

Clare Daly

Ceist:

810. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 549 of 12 May 2015, the reason her Department did not also facilitate the parents of children who attended the two other service providers that existed at that time, in view of the fact that her Department was fully aware of their existence, per departmental records dated 18 June 2007, but instead her Department decided to only offer an agreement to one private commercial organisation exclusively for over five years, enabling that commercial company to expand to more than 16 classes, while the two other service providers ended up closing their services, one of which was a parent-led charity set up because the parents were offered no educational service for their children when they were first diagnosed with autism. [20021/15]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

As the Deputy is aware, where parents of children who are eligible for home tuition have sought alternative arrangements to be put in place for the tuition, my Department responded and facilitated by putting arrangements in place with private providers, nominated by the parents, who provide group tuition to children in a class type setting. Payment in these cases is made directly to the service provider and is calculated on a group rate basis.

The Deputy's question refers to two unnamed facilities and it is unclear to which facilities this question refers. Accordingly it is not possible to respond in respect of these two facilities.