Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The reason I tabled this matter is because of a statement made on Thursday, 16 May in a committee hearing here. The lady in charge of the commission said it would take two or three years for the review to take place. My issue here is the two to three years. We are looking at trying to get additional time for the students, which time is already in place in third level institutions. It is the same thing that has happened for the leaving certificate and junior certificate and that happens also across the entirety of European countries.

We also need to look at the issue of where children are given a grant from the Department to get assistive technology but the commission will only allow that to be used some time during third year in State examinations. Families are left in limbo for a two and a half year process. The lack of joined-up thinking absolutely baffles me here. We have children who are using assistive technology in first year and second year but the State Examination Commission will not give them the approval to use it until some stage in third year, if at all. I think urgency is required here.

In the Department's response, and it is not the problem of the Minister of State present here, the timeline of two to three years was not given. In the committee, the timeline of two to three years was given. I would consider that to be very disingenuous, to say the very least.