Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I respect the Deputy as a professional. The question is whether one turns the assessment into a judgment that is used for third-party purposes by a student. There is deep concern about that issue. It is not the case that we do not have assessment until the leaving certificate at the end of 14 years. Assessments for 14 year olds will now be part and parcel of the process and it will be conveyed to parents how their children are doing in English, maths and science.

Regarding what Senator Healy Eames has said, I have said publicly on many occasions what I have said to this committee today. I am not saying anything new here today that I have not said already. I have simply said it repeatedly in response to different questions. I am more than happy to sit down and talk to representatives of the trade unions along with the other stakeholders to see how we can advance the project. Up until now, however, the union representatives have not engaged because they are opposed to this in principle. It is very hard to get into committee stage of any type of discussion if there is opposition in principle but I have heard the concerns expressed by the teachers.

After 25 years of trying to get a new junior cycle, I do not think it is presumptuous or precipitous to suggest that there should be agreement in principle. Deputy McConalogue attended the conferences where I said that I am prepared to negotiate how best to get there, at what speed, the navigation and so forth but the destination is replacing the current junior certificate State examination with a different kind of examination, which is set out in all of the documentation with which committee members are familiar. We can do it in such a way so that it is monitored as it proceeds. I have already slowed down the implementation of the process. As I have said, there will be two more general elections before this process is finally completed. In that context, I can hardly be accused of rushing it.

Finally, I would say to Deputy McConalogue - who is a member of Fianna Fáil - that I do not recall former Deputy Donogh O'Malley engaging in extensive consultation and negotiation before announcing free education.