Home tuition delays
Deputy Thomas Byrne raised delays in dealing with home tuition applications and linked them to children being left without school places. The Education Minister said legislation and consultation were progressing and that the priority was getting children into school.
My colleague, Deputy Micheál Martin, raised last night the issue of the "Prime Time" programme on the twins in the Milne-Bolger family. The family's horrific experience is shared right across the country. We have all heard such stories many times. The family spoke about home tuition and Deputy Martin spoke specifically about that case. Notwithstanding the fact that home tuition numbers have increased, which really means an increase in the number of children who cannot get a place in school, I understand there are considerable delays within the Department in dealing with applications for home tuition grants. Many children are idle at the moment because they do not have teachers. The teachers who provide home tuition are losing patience and are not willing to continue to provide the service if the Department continues with the delays. It is the ultimate insult to the children with special needs. Those who cannot find a place in school are suffering from further delays because the Department will not deal with the home tuition applications.
Comment on this
The Taoiseach spoke very clearly on this issue in terms of investment and commitment. Legislation to compel schools to provide classes was introduced on 3 December last year and was enacted on 18 April. There has been considerable consultation with schools on this to ensure what is desired happens. I am not going to go down the road of using the big stick to tell schools what to do. The consultation is working. We will have a positive set of circumstances emerging in Dublin 15.
With regard to home tuition, if parents want to get their sons and daughters into schools, that is our focus.
If we can improve the administration of applications, we will, but a concerted effort is being made to deal with this issue. The Deputy's party leader used the word "inertia" today. There is no inertia on the part of the officials in the Department of Education and Skills. They are prioritising this. There is no inertia on the part of Government either; €1 out of every €5 is going into special education. We will continue to work on that.
Comment on this
The Minister should tell that to the kids sitting at home.