Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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662. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will respond to concerns raised by a person (details supplied) in respect of CAO offers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12595/21]

Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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665. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a certain amount of college places can be held over in 2021-2022 for students who sat the leaving certificate in 2019 and who wish to pursue a nursing degree but had to defer going to college in 2020-2021 on health grounds; if his attention has been drawn to the difficulties that these students now face as a result of the predicted grades process and the increased points required for courses such as nursing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12612/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 662 and 665 together.

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are autonomous and manage their own academic affairs including admissions procedures. The CAO process applications for undergraduate courses on behalf of the HEIs. Decisions on admissions are made by the HEIs who then instruct the CAO to make offers to successful candidates. Therefore I do not have a role in the operation of the CAO.

The CAO system is a system that works on the assumption that grades obtained in the Leaving Certificate by candidates determine their points. It is on this basis that the CAO system allocates places to applicants including those from different years. To ensure impartiality, the automatic CAO points systems have been created in a way that does not allow for different treatment to be applied to different sub-groups.

There will be fluctuations in CAO points this year, as there are every year. The changes in points depend not only on the grades received by applicants but also on the number of applicants, and the number of places available. As we are in the midst of a global pandemic and economic flux, there is more volatility than usual this year due to factors such as reduced opportunities in the economy, students seeking to defer or re-apply in subsequent years and uncertainty around students travelling internationally both to and from Ireland.

I know how difficult a time it has been for students and parents, but I would like to stress the range of options available both in further education and training and apprenticeships, but also in pathways in higher education. Even for students whose path into higher education may not be what they originally planned, there may be a pathway back to their preferred option.