Marie Moloney (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I wish to add my sympathies to those already offered to the family of the late Senator Tom Fitzgerald.

I take this opportunity to condemn the State Examinations Commission for its shoddy work in respect of this year's examinations. It should never have allowed incorrect questions to be included on examination papers and must be called to account. I request that the Minister for Education and Skills call the commission to account in respect of this matter. The leaving certificate is by far the most difficult examination anyone will every sit. My son studied medicine. He attended medical school for five years and GP training college for four and he informs me that the most difficult examination he ever sat was the leaving certificate. How can the State Examinations Commission possibly expect students to provide correct answers if incorrect questions are posed? Somebody must be called to account in respect of the shoddy work relating to this episode. As Senator O'Keeffe stated, someone should apologise to students throughout the country with regard to what they have endured. I call on the Minister to come forward and apologise because it is not good enough that students were obliged to deal with flawed questions.

I take a somewhat different approach from Senator Hayden in the context of welcoming the revised maximum rent supplement limits. The relevant committee spent a number of hours informing officials from the Department that the rent supplement limits throughout the country were too low. I informed them that there is life beyond the Red Cow Roundabout but they obviously did not listen. All the increases which are being introduced relate to the area inside the Red Cow Roundabout. There is nothing for people elsewhere. Let everybody remember that there is life beyond there. I ask the Leader to call on the Minister to further revise the rent supplement limits. Rents in Killarney are extremely high and there is no way that the new supplement limits reflect this. People cannot afford to pay rent at those levels.