Written answers

Tuesday, 21 September 2021

Department of Education and Skills

State Examinations

Photo of Aodhán Ó RíordáinAodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour)
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394. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the efforts that were made to co-ordinate the timing of the leaving certificate results and UCAS deadlines and to communicate the timing of those results with the UCAS system in the UK to allow Irish students take-up courses; the number of students who were unable to take-up places at UK universities in 2021 as a result of the delay in results and the failure to come to agreement with UCAS universities; and the number of those students who chose to take up a place in an Irish third-level course rather than defer until 2022 thereby reducing the total number of students able to take up third-level courses. [45243/21]

Photo of Norma FoleyNorma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Engagement with UCAS, and the relevant UK higher education authorities and bodies, is a matter for the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. I understand the Deputy has put a similar question to Minister Harris.

On 2 June 2021 I announced that provisional results of the Leaving Certificate would issue on 3 September 2021. This information was communicated to the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS), who continued their engagements with UCAS and relevant organisations in the UK.

I also raised this subject when I met with the UK Secretary of State for Education in Dublin last July.

In addition to the above engagement, students who had applied for places in universities and colleges outside of Ireland were advised to engage directly with these institutions as early as possible to notify them of the results date and to confirm their position. This was communicated to students through the gov.ie/leavingcertificate webpage, through social media and through bilateral engagement with the Irish Secondary Schools Student Union (ISSU).

Where issues emerged which could not be resolved in engagement between students and admissions offices in the UK, officials in both my Department and DFHERIS engaged directly with the students and universities in question, seeking that they would respond flexibly in respect of Irish students. The work was also supported by staff from the Irish Embassies in London and Cardiff. In those cases which were notified to and pursued by both Departments, there is no evidence of students having reverted to either Department to indicate that they were disadvantaged.

Where a student applies to pursue their higher education studies in the UK, this is a matter between the student and the UK University in question. As a result, my Department does not hold any statistics in this regard.

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