Paudge Connolly (Cavan-Monaghan, Independent)
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Question 559: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the reason for the increased costs of running the State post-primary examinations from €33.7 million in 2002 to the projected cost of €49.5 million in 2005, in view of the fact that the numbers taking these examinations have decreased significantly over this period; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35592/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The main reason for the perceived increase of €15.8 million in the cost of running the State post-primary examinations between 2002 and 2005 is that a technical adjustment was made in the mechanisms for reporting expenditure. State examinations were administered by the examinations branch of the Department of Education and Science until 2002. Since the establishment of the State Examinations Commission in 2003, substantial costs which used to be a charge on departmental subheads have been met from the allocation for the commission's Estimate. The 2002 figure of €33.7 million did not include elements of the expenditure projected for 2005, such as staff salaries, travel and subsistence, telephone costs, the commission's separate IT network and miscellaneous expenses. The projected costing for such items in 2005 is €12.8 million. Significant additional costs have also arisen as a result of inflation and the increased ratesof remuneration which are given to superintendents and examiners under benchmarking andSustaining Progress. Extra expenditure has been incurred as a result of new examinations in religion and a revised examination in home economics. The number of special centres set up to cater for candidates availing of reasonable accommodation has increased significantly in each of the last few years, necessitating the employment of additional superintendents.