Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I apologise for having stepped out. The witnesses will appreciate there was a vote in the Dáil. The representatives will forgive me if I repeat questions that have already been asked. I ask the witnesses to pretend they have not already answered the questions.

My focus is not on leaving certificate 2020. It is done. There were regrettable errors. We know that, and we also know that some of them were not caused by the Department. The rest of them were caused by Covid. I am not going to dwell on that. In the context of leaving certificate 2021, and taking on board the step taken in Wales today to suspend any plans for a seated examination in the summer of 2021, one must inquire about the process.

One has to ask and to forward plan. If it is not possible for us to have an examination on the normal date in early or mid-June, what contingency plans are in place? Further, if the 2021 leaving certificate cannot take place in an examination hall, are the witnesses confident that the predicted grades system is robust enough, given what we have learned, to be used again?

My final question relates to long-term effects of Covid on our student population and the need for a one-day examination of a student's ability at a senior secondary level. Should we recognise this opportunity and take it as the wake-up call we may have needed? I mean no disrespect to the representatives from the Department and do not doubt the professionalism they bring to their roles but we need to have that conversation. We all know it. Mr. Hislop is nodding. I would appreciate if the witnesses could spend some time on that third point, which is probably more important than the prior ones. I leave that question open to any of the witnesses who wish to answer it.