Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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110. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the receipts from the leaving certificate examination fee on an annual basis since 2008; the cost of granting exemptions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2639/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations.

In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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111. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there has been a review or audit of the exemption scheme for fees in respect of the leaving certificate examination; if so, if he will publish such reports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2640/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations.

In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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112. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to abolish or reduce the examination fee for the leaving certificate in order to maximise participation in the leaving certificate examination; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2641/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I have no plans to abolish or reduce the examination fee for the Leaving Certificate.

The entry fee for the Leaving Certificate is €116. Lower rates of examination fees apply to candidates who are sitting only one or two subjects in the examination and who are entered for the examination through the Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS), the Back to Education Initiative (BTEI) or other similar schemes. There has been no increase in the Leaving Certificate examination fee since 2012.

The State Examinations Commission collects examinations fees from candidates sitting examinations each year. Fees are collected in order to defray some of the costs of running the examinations, with the remaining cost paid for from exchequer funding. In 2016 the SEC collected €8,609,569 in examination fees and received €55,030,789 in exchequer funding.

In recognition that not all candidates are in a position to pay examination fees each year, the SEC operates a fee alleviation scheme. A waiver of the examination fee applies in the case of candidates who hold a full medical card or are dependent on a parent or guardian who holds a full medical card by a specified date each year.

By way of context, in 2016 there were 55,707 Leaving Certificate candidates. 20,177 of those candidates (36%) were exempt from the examination fee under the fee alleviation scheme.