Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Perhaps the Deputy will submit a parliamentary question on the case to which he referred or raise it directly with the Minister to have it examined. In cases where a parent or student is dissatisfied with any aspect of a decision by the State Examinations Commission, he or she may appeal to an independent appeals committee whose members are drawn from outside the commission. The remit of the appeals committee covers appeals against all elements of a decision taken by the State Examinations Commission. Appeals must be lodged in writing and all appeals are considered in light of the framework of principles established by an expert advisory group. The Department and Minister do not have a role in reviewing decisions made by the State Examinations Commission or independent appeals committee in respect of the scheme of reasonable accommodations in the certificate examinations.

Of the unsuccessful applicants for reasonable accommodations in 2012, 513 made an appeal to the independent appeals committee. Of these appeals, 32 were successful while the original decision made by the commission was upheld in the remaining cases. The Minister is satisfied that the scheme's application and appeal processes operate in an open and transparent manner. Notwithstanding this, I am willing to examine the specific critique of the system made by an eminent and qualified person who has done an assessment of a student. I ask the Deputy to provide me with the details of the case.

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