Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)

The papers are held in a safe and are clearly annotated and marked. There is a process by which the superintendent of the examination collects the relevant paper and has it co-signed by two students who will identify that the examination paper has not been tampered with and opened. Those two students will sign that paper. There was in this case a further note in the envelope indicating that a second English paper was due the following morning.

I must wait for the report on this but it would appear that due diligence was not acted on in this instance. No matter what we say, in all these matters there is human failing. Human failing was involved here. It is not my business to make the superintendent a fall guy because the superintendents are employed directly by an independent body, the State Examinations Commission, and it is a matter for it to deal with what arises from the failures there. I will examine the report and any recommendations in it.

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