Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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163. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills since the withdrawal of the NEPS psychologists from carrying out testing in relation tot he awarding of readers to leaving certificate students, the process that is undertaken to ensure that anomalies in equity does not exist; if he has received any reports of serious anomalies in the system; the steps he will take to address this; and the role played by psychological assessment in the review process. [2603/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I can inform the Deputy that my Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) has not withdrawn from carrying out testing for, or from involvement in, the scheme for Reasonable Accommodation in Certificate.

Examinations (RACE). Under this scheme NEPS psychologists make recommendations annually in respect of some 5000 applications for accommodations such as readers, scribes, etc. based on criteria applied by, and agreed with, the State Examinations Commission (SEC).

Applications under the scheme are submitted by schools on behalf of students to the SEC, who in turn forward them to NEPS regional offices countrywide. Each application must include information supporting the candidate's request for a particular accommodation, including current school based testing on ability / attainments, to inform the psychologist's recommendation under the schemes' criteria.

Most requests are processed and returned, with recommendations, from NEPS to SEC upon examination of the application form and supporting information. Those applications which do not include all the appropriate data are returned through the SEC to the school for update, resubmitted and reviewed again by the NEPS psychologist and a recommendation is made. Where the information, duly submitted, does not allow for a clear determination in relation to the accommodation requested, the psychologist may visit the school concerned and carry out additional assessment with the candidate to further inform the process of establishing eligibility, or not, under the criteria for the scheme. The overall focus of the process applied by NEPS is designed to ensure consistency in the application of the scheme's criteria and fairness and objectivity in reaching a recommendation for the candidate. Candidates who are not satisfied with the determination reached in the process may appeal the decision though a process moderated by the SEC under the scheme.

Neither I, nor my Department, is aware of the anomalies to which the Deputy alludes in her question.