Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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835. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there will be a re-instatement of Junior- and Leaving Certificate fees for the academic year 2026-2027; and her plans to ensure that these fees are covered by her Department, as they were last year. [59411/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Following the Government’s Budget 2026 announcement, the temporary measures that applied for the past number of years, under which examination entry fees were waived, are no longer in place.

The State Examinations Commission (SEC) has advised schools accordingly. Schools have been notified that examination entry fees will apply in 2026, at the same level as when they were last charged in 2019; that is €116 per entry for a Senior Cycle/Leaving Certificate candidate and €109 per entry for a Junior Cycle candidate. Full details of the fee collection arrangements will be notified to school authorities by the SEC in due course. The Deputy may wish to note that the rate of examination entry fees which will apply for the 2026 examinations has not been increased since 2012.

In line with the arrangements which applied when fees were last charged, candidates who hold a full medical card, or who are covered for all services on a parent or guardian’s full medical card, are exempt from examination fees.