Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As the Minister of State will agree and as the Minister very much acknowledges, junior cycle reform is crucial to reforming the curriculum and how it is delivered at second level.

That the Minister has been willing to progress it is positive. We would like to see this happen with everybody involved and on board. Unfortunately, because of the manner in which the Minister has handled the issue, the position, as he leaves office, is far from ideal. In May he committed to the establishment of a working group which was to be chaired by him. I gather from the Minister of State's response that the Minister has not chaired any meeting of the group because it has not yet met. I remind the Minister of State that we are less than two months from the start of the new academic year and implementation of the reform of the junior certificate. This is entirely unacceptable. Perhaps the Minister of State might clarify if it is the case that, as of now, there have been no meetings of the working group which was to be chaired by the Minister.

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