Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We all smiled with Rebecca, but where were we last August when Rebecca was in tears when she missed out on her place? Where were we when she was told that she should not have missed out on that place but that she would not have it until this time next year? We smiled because Rebecca had to go to the High Court to smile. She had to go that far and spend that kind of money to secure her right to something she had earned. The Minister announced a review. What is the timeline for the review? Who will conduct it? Will it be outsiders, people who will bring some type of order to the system and, most importantly, give clarity to the 60,000 students who will sit the leaving certificate examination next year in order that none of them falls into the trap that affected Rebecca? We accept that mistakes can be made and that these things happen.

We cannot allow this to happen. There needs to be additional checks when dealing with people's futures, particularly people of a young age who have worked incredibly hard to achieve an ambition but who have that ambition denied to them because of error. This cannot and should not be stood over. I am sure the Minister will want to give an assurance to the 60,000 people who will sit the leaving certificate examination next year that this will not happen again.

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