Ms Shirley Comerford:

With respect, I do not think the issue is the marking scheme but the availability of candidates. It is not the case that candidates presenting who are proficient in Irish are disproportionately disadvantaged in any marking scheme. Our biggest challenge is the actual candidate pool, the people who are putting themselves forward for our Irish stream competitions or opting to compete through the Irish stream. That is where our biggest challenge is. It is not that they are failing as they come through the process, in which case 6% would make a difference. It is that they are not coming through the processes or applying at all.