Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the committee, I welcome: Mr. Dalton Tattan, assistant secretary of the Department of Education; Ms Anne Tansey, national director of the National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS; Ms Orlaith O'Connor, assistant chief inspector of schools in the Department of Education; and Mr. Eamonn Moran, Ms Evelyn O’Connor and Mr. Neville Kenny, who are all principal officers in the curriculum and assessment policy area of the Department of Education. The officials are resuming their briefing on leaving certificate reform and the need for a new senior cycle looking towards the future. We will continue today with our focus on the key areas identified for examination. I ask members to bear in mind that this is a continuation of our discussion with the Department and is not about the leaving certificate coming up this year. We want to focus on leaving certificate reform rather than the Department's plans for the upcoming leaving certificate. We can have another conversation with the Minister on that if need be. I will leave that in members' hands.

I thank the witnesses for coming back in today.

The weather outside is a little safer today than it was the last day that we were online. The reason I brought representatives of the Department back in today is because some of the members did not have the opportunity to put questions to the officials on that occasion.

The format of the meeting is that I will invite members to ask their questions, as Mr. Tattan made an opening statement on 7 December last. Each member has approximately six to eight minutes. As to the first person up this morning, in the absence of Senators O'Loughlin and Dolan, I call Deputy Conway-Walsh.