Eamon Scanlon (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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250. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will ensure that the leaving certificate applied programme is made available to students for the 2017-2018 academic year in County Leitrim; if he will address the fact that the leaving certificate applied programme is currently not offered to a person (details supplied) in view of the fact an educational psychologist has recommended that the person should be enrolled for the programme; the efforts he is making to ensure the school runs the programme for the 2017-2018 academic year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12875/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA) programme is one of a number of options made available by my Department for Senior Cycle students which schools can choose from, based on the education needs and interests of their students.  

The LCA is a two-year programme designed for those students who do not wish to proceed directly to higher education or for those whose needs, aptitudes and learning styles are not fully catered for by the other two Leaving Certificate programmes.      

It is the responsibility and choice of each individual school to decide to put in place the LCA programme, including the admittance of a student to the programme, in their school, and therefore not a matter for my Department to decide. I am aware that the number of schools offering the programme has declined. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) have recently commenced a review of Senior Cycle, and at my request the LCA forms part of this review.