Mr. Michael Gillespie:

Youthreach and prison settings are two completely different things but they are affected in sometimes similar ways. Youthreach traditionally did the leaving certificate applied, LCA, as a pathway but they also did certain leaving certificate subjects at the same time. For example, it might have done maths, particularly for the apprenticeships. Traditionally they were able to do both together and maybe do it in a year. Now, because some of the AACs are starting as early as fifth year, it is actually making it into a two-year programme and maybe this does not suit Youthreach ideally. It is the same in the Prison Service where most people may want to do their leaving certificate as a pathway or to help them go into further education or even third level to do a degree. Again, they want do it in a year. If the person wants to do the subject in a year, since the AACs are now over a two-year period and they might start in January of fifth year to be concluded in sixth year, the person does not have the capacity to do a one-year sitting of the leaving certificate, which they had done previously. Whether we agreed with it or not, warts and all there was the terminal exam. If a student was doing music, for example, or oral Irish, he or she could still do those subjects over one year because the exams were over the Easter break and the music practical was over the Easter break. If a student was doing construction studies, the practical was done in the last term. Under the old system the student could do a leaving certificate in one year with selected subjects but cannot do so under the new scheme. This is gradually going to get worse as we move through more subjects over the five tranches as they come in.