I raise this issue on the Adjournment on behalf of the thousands of students who are due to sit the leaving certificate, junior certificate and NCVA examinations shortly. These students are under enormous stress and strain already without this unnecessary threat hanging over the examinations. In this context, and without any disrespect to the Minister of State, Deputy Currie, I am disappointed the Minister for Education is not present to provide the clarification we require and to state the position as it is. Given the sense of crisis now hanging over the examinations, the fundamental nature of the State examination system to our education system and achievements, and in recognition of the efforts that have been made by thousands of students in preparation for these examinations, we expect the Minister to be here to allay these concerns and to give a clear sense of confidence to students and parents that the examinations will go ahead as scheduled and without any undue disruption.
It is essential that the Minister for Education should state exactly what is the position, to what degree has the preparation of the examinations been damaged or delayed by the dispute, how much time has been lost and so on. For example, I am aware that the normal degree of overtime at this time of the year is not being worked. I am also aware that the 24 hour shift work which is part and parcel of the examination process is not yet under way in the Department and that we are within days of finding ourselves in an irretrievable position.
It is important that the Minister state what the position is. It is also imperative that guarantees are given that the disruption and delays to date will not result in any errors in the printing or publishing of the examination papers, in their delivery to the various schools or any other errors pertaining to the preparation process. Last year there were unacceptable errors in the marking of the leaving certificate Art examination papers and there is an ongoing dispute regarding the marking of the higher level English papers submitted by students from Dundalk.
There are indications that adequate resources are not available to the examinations personnel in Athlone. The resourcing issue in the context of the organisation of the examinations is something which requires full ministerial review. We do not want to see further errors due to undue pressures on staff or a rushed preparation process because of this dispute.
The Minister for Education's handling of the 1995 leaving certificate Art examination errors gave rise to considerable tension and anger among the staff in the examinations branch in Athlone. Her replies to a number of parliamentary questions tabled by me clearly attempted to lay the blame for the errors on the staff in Athlone and drew a sharp distinction between herself, top management and staff there. This has caused understandable anger and has opened up a huge gulf between the Minister and her staff in Athlone which has further exacerbated the situation.
The Minister has lost the confidence of the staff in her Department. It is worth noting that 88 per cent of the staff in Athlone voted in favour of industrial action. This indicates the degree of disillusionment with the Minister's approach and with the approach of the Government to their legitimate concerns as articulated through the negotiation process under the Programme for Competitiveness and Work and under the elaborate industrial machinery in place.
Inevitably, disputes such as this are resolved. I am concerned that time has been allowed to drag in relation to this dispute and, given the potential catastrophic impact on the State's examination process, one would have expected a more urgent response from the Government. Young people and their parents are distressed about the threat to the examinations taking place as scheduled. We must remove this additional stress and pressure from students and their parents. Accordingly, I ask the Government to take urgent action.
I wish to articulate my disappointment that today's discussions have not resulted in a successful outcome. I ask the Minister of State and the Government to act urgently to allay the real concerns which exist in relation to this matter.