Education Minister Graham Cregeen has insisted all interested parties are being encouraged to take part in a consultation ahead of drafting the Education Bill.

Some fear parents who home school face onerous obligations to provide details to the department. Jason Moorhouse (Arbory, Castletown and Malew) asked which home schooling ’stakeholders’ had been contacted.

Mr Cregeen said: ’All stakeholders and interested parties are encouraged to express views on the principles in the consultation document. Any new policies will be developed once the new legislation is in place.’