Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I have said that confidence in the system is critical. I prefer that I am here able to answer some of the valid and appropriate questions Members of the Opposition have. The Minister, Deputy Foley, will be able to answer any further questions this evening. I would prefer to be able to stand up now with the full knowledge, as I do now, of what had actually happened, which I do not believe would have been available or was not actually available earlier this week. It was more important to get the facts right, get the resolution and rectification of the problem right and then to present the approach we plan to take.

Had we taken the other route and immediately said there was a problem without being sure about the consequences, the numbers or the implications for the CAO and college places, tens of thousands of students, all of whom would fear that there are implications for them, would spend a week wanting to know the answers to those valid questions. It was more appropriate to get this sorted as best we can - and we will - and then openly and transparently go to the Dáil and outline the difficulties we have.

On contractual arrangements, if someone's contract has not delivered or a mistake has been made, obviously that is a legal contractual issue to be managed after the fact. The first thing is to get the code checked, which will be done, get the revised assessment of students with higher grades and then allocate third level places to them in a timely manner. That is what we will focus on.

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