Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 14 Feb 1995

Vol. 449 No. 1

Written Answers. - Examination Fees.

Eric J. Byrne

Question:

139 Mr. E. Byrne asked the Minister for Education the assistance available to parents who are long term unemployed and in receipt of unemployment assistance whose family members must re-sit leaving certificate exams at a charge of £44; and if she has a scheme in place that obviates the need for parents who live on social welfare incomes only to pay this fee. [3214/95]

Minister for Education (Ms Bhreathnach)

My Department operates a number of measures in order to alleviate hardship arising from the payment of examination entry fees.

In the case of necessitous pupils, the ordinary fee payable may be reduced at the discretion of the school principal and subject to a maximum notified to each school or vocational education committee by my Department. My Department has made £400,000 available to schools and vocational education committees for this purpose in connection with the 1995 examinations. This amount is greater than the amount allocated in 1994 by 1.5 per cent, the estimated increase in candidature. There has been no increase in the rates of examination entry fees since 1994.

The amount allocated to each school or committee in respect of 1995 fees has been based on the results of a questionnaire on hardship issued to schools in 1994. Allocations have been increased or reduced, taking into account the particular circumstances in each school.

School authorities are advised that, for the purposes of fee alleviation, a necessitous pupil may be defined as a child from a home where genuine hardship exists because of unemployment, prolonged illness of parent, large family with inadequate means, single parent, more than one child from the same family doing the certificate examinations, and other circumstances that would connote a similar degree of domestic financial hardship.

In addition, in the case of a candidate who remains at school to repeat the leaving certificate examination and whose parent or guardian is the holder of a current medical card the course fee of £100 is waived and the examination entry fee is reduced from £120 to a maximum of £44, (the ordinary leaving certificate fee payable by first-time candidates).

Finally, candidates who are not attending school may enter personally for the leaving certificate examination under the provisions for admission of external candidates. The ordinary fees payable by external candidates are reduced, where the candidate is the holder of a current medical card or is dependent on a parent or guardian who is the holder of a current medical card, as follows: one subject, £18, (reduced from £44); two subjects, £33, (reduced from £88); three or more subjects, £44, (reduced from £132).

I should add that examination entry fees cover only part of the cost of running the certificate examinations. It is expected that about £6 million in fees will be collected in respect of the 1995 examinations will come to about £13 million.