Shane Curley (Fianna Fail)

I think there is a major problem with decision-making processes in this country. In a lot of cases, considerable amounts are thrown at questions when we already have the answers. We have the answers when third level colleges give an extra ten minutes per hour or part of an hour to students with dyslexia in exams as standard practice. That happens across the board. It does not matter whether the student has a scribe or not. In the second level education system, if students have a scribe, they may, as Ms Feeney said, get extra time in an exam but not all second level students in 2026 will. I will make one final point.

A pilot programme is to be undertaken this year. If I was a parent of a student with dyslexia whose school was not in the pilot, I would question the credibility of the exam because my son or daughter did not get extra time in an exam while other students did. That is just an overall comment. We need to revisit this and have a look at the decision the SEC may be about to take. I urge that for the credibility of exams and because of my overall care for taxpayers' money and the fact that I can tell Mr. Tattan straight out that these students do need extra time to reduce their stress. It has also been mentioned to me that they need a reduced number of questions. The question of extra time for exams is just a no-brainer, however. I really wonder where the money for these reviews and reports comes from. It is taxpayers' money.