Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. I see the motivation behind it.

The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. I am informed by the commission that it regularly receives requests for assistance from candidates who either cannot take an examination or cannot perform to their optimum as a result of some life event such as illness, bereavement or other trauma. However, our examinations model is constrained in the degree to which the life experiences of individual students can be accommodated. Each year the commission makes arrangements such as early or deferred sittings and special sittings in hospitals to cater for a wide range of personal emergencies but this is only possible on the day of the examination.

The commission recognises that this is a very real issue for candidates and on foot of the concerns raised, the State Examinations Commission has given detailed consideration to the possibility of providing repeat examinations. The State examinations are run within the tightest of timescales and to maximum capacity to deliver a high quality product at both leaving certificate and junior certificate levels. It has been concluded that within our current externally examined examinations model, it would not be possible to hold repeat examinations and to have results available to the expected deadlines.

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