Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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431. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the date on which the Leaving Certificate 2023 results will be issued; if a date cannot be confirmed, the current expectation as to the timing; if her Department has contacted or will contact its counterparts in the Netherlands, as happened in previous years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4559/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The State Examinations Commission (SEC) has not confirmed a date on which the Leaving Certificate 2023 results will be issued.

The State Examinations Commission (SEC) has responsibility for the operation, delivery and development of the State examinations.  2022 marked the return to externally delivered examinations for all candidates at both Leaving Certificate and Junior Cycle, with 61,108 candidates sitting Leaving Certificate examinations and 67,130 candidates sitting Junior Cycle examinations.

There were a number of factors that affected the timing of the issue of results for both examinations this year. These included a challenge in recruiting sufficient examiners, the provision of a set of deferred examinations at Leaving Certificate for candidates who experienced illness or bereavement, and the implementation of a post-marking adjustment, also at Leaving Certificate. That gave effect to my commitment that results in 2022 would be no lower in the aggregate than in the previous year.

Availability of teachers to mark the examinations had been challenging for a number of years prior to the COVID pandemic but became acute in 2022.  My Department approved increased rates of payment for examiners in 2022 and additional payments were made which recognised the cooperation, flexibility and support needed in the delivery of the examinations.  I am pleased to advise the Deputy that €11m was provided on Budget Day this year to maintain these increased examiner pay rates for 2023. Recruitment and retention of teachers as examiners is of critical concern and the SEC is undertaking a review of this issue with all of the second level stakeholders with the objective of substantially increasing the number of teachers involved.

Over the last three years, by working collectively with education stakeholders, it was possible for the Irish education system to respond to the needs of students wishing to continue their education and training abroad including the Netherlands. I am confident that this will be the case again should the need arise in 2023 .