Adjournment Matters

Water and Sewerage Schemes Status

Senator Averil Power

While I welcome the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Phil Hogan, to the House to debate this matter, the proposed massive sewage treatment plant in north County Dublin comes within the purview of the Department of the Public Expenditure and Reform. This matter was tabled to the Minister at that Department, Deputy Brendan Howlin, who gave a commitment to the Seanad in November 2011 that he would ensure this project was evaluated from a cost-benefit perspective. As the Minister with responsibility for public expenditure, cost-benefit analyses come within his brief.

My colleague, Senator Darragh O'Brien, raised this issue with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in the context of a number of financial projects which come within his brief. He responded by stating Senator O'Brien, the Fianna Fáil spokesperson, had made a number of constructive points about the proposal and gave an express undertaking to have the matter investigated. He stated:

There is a propensity for engineers to have big schemes. They much prefer to build reservoirs than fix leaks. There is nothing sexy about fixing a hole but construction of a multi million euro dam and piping water for miles is a big event. I prefer to fix the leaks.

The Minister's statement shows a healthy and welcome degree of scepticism about the proposal to build a massive sewage treatment plant in north Dublin. He also gave an explicit undertaking to have the proposal investigated to ensure, as we would all expect, that the sums add up and the project is appropriate. A half-page chart published yesterday indicates the sums involved. The project will cost, at a minimum, almost €500 million because the chart lists the costs associated with the construction of a pipeline, utilities and land acquisition but does not take account of factors such as traffic disruption and the broader economic costs that are supposed to be taken into consideration.

The Government's own guidelines for cost-benefit analyses make it very clear that broader social costs must be taken into account and that every proposal should be evaluated from the perspective of society replacing all of the costs and benefits on a comparative monetary scale. Instead, we had this fiasco yesterday where a multi-million euro project, worth at least €500 million, has been decided on and a location has been chosen, but the distinctions were made between alternative sites on the basis of half a page of data.

I welcome the fact that the Minister is here and I am happy to debate the issue with him. I raised this matter in a previous debate with the Minister of State, Deputy Cannon, some months ago. It is an absolute disgrace that the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform - who was sitting in the same chair as the Minister, Deputy Hogan, up until ten minutes ago and who was in this House for an hour - instead of staying here and responding with regard to specific commitments he gave to this House last year, chose to leave the Chamber. All I can take from that is that he does not stand over this project and is not comfortable with answering any questions on it. It does not stand up. That is the very clear message I have taken today from the fact that the Minister, Deputy Hogan's Cabinet colleague just walked out the door instead of staying here and accounting for the decision that was made yesterday.

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (Deputy Phil Hogan)

I am taking the matter raised by Senator Power because I am the relevant line Minister in the context of water and wastewater treatment facilities. The subject raised in the House today is the greater Dublin drainage project, a critical wastewater project that will facilitate employment and economic growth in the wider Dublin region. It is essential for that purpose into the future. I can understand the frustration of local people but no matter where we put one of these treatment facilities, concerns will be voiced. I assure Senator Power that there will be an opportunity for further public consultation when the matter is referred to An Bord Pleanála. That is the next stage of the process.

It is anticipated that there will be insufficient drainage and wastewater treatment facilities in the region by 2020 if a project is not progressed at this stage. I understand from Fingal County Council that the greater Dublin strategic drainage study identified eight different strategy scenarios. Each of these options was subject to detailed technical, social, economic and environmental analysis and, on foot of this, six of these scenarios were considered unfeasible. Following a detailed evaluation of the final two scenarios, including assessment of the capital and whole-of-life costs, the development of a single regional wastewater treatment plant in the north Dublin area, with an orbital sewer connecting this to the existing network, was deemed to provide the required solution.

The strategic environmental assessment of the study concluded that the location for the new regional wastewater treatment plant should be identified following a rigorous alternative site assessment process. In October 2011, Fingal County Council identified nine potential land parcels in the northern part of the greater Dublin area within which a proposed regional wastewater treatment plant could potentially be located, along with a marine outfall and an orbital drainage system. These nine land parcels were then assessed as potential locations in which to site the regional wastewater treatment plant. The routes for the orbital drainage system and the marine outfall pipe locations were also assessed. Site-specific information, more in-depth desk-top research and detailed site surveys, as well as feedback from the public, were used to assist in identifying the locations with the least impact under 15 criteria.

Of these nine land parcels, three sites located at Annsbrook, Clonshaugh and Newtowncorduff were then identified by the council as emerging preferred-site options. Following further analysis, consultation and consideration of all submissions, Fingal County Council announced on Monday last that Clonshaugh had been identified as the preferred site option for the development. The assessment notes that in addition to the many technical and environmental benefits, the estimated overall cost during the lifetime of the project for this preferred site option is over €80 million less than other options studied.

A further detailed appraisal of the project to be located at the preferred site will be undertaken by Fingal County Council over the next six months and the local authority will carry out a full economic appraisal as part of this process.

Senator Averil Power

In response to the Minister's comment, unlike his Cabinet colleague, the Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly, I accept that there is a need for increased sewerage treatment facilities in north Dublin. Neither myself nor other members of my party have ever argued that capacity should not be increased. However, we have questioned the logic behind having only one plant. We have argued that it would make much more sense to have a number of small, local plants. We have not taken the NIMBY approach to this issue, unlike the Minister, Deputy Hogan's colleague, who issued a statement yesterday to the effect that the plant was not good enough for his part of north Dublin but was fine for the people of Clonshaugh.

Senator Marie Moloney

The issue I am raising on the Adjournment is short and to the point. When schools apply for internships in the education sector, they are getting caught up in time constraints. Deadlines have been published but when schools apply, they are advised that the applications will not be authenticated until 1 August. This does not give them much time to advertise, interview and select candidates, and then arrange Garda vetting before the start of the school year. As we all know, Garda vetting takes six to eight weeks at a minimum. There is no way that the schools will be ready to appoint interns at the start of the school year. I refer in particular to St. Brendan's College in Killarney, which has applied for a laboratory technician. Its hands are tied because it cannot do anything until 1 August and the intern has to start at the beginning of the school year if he or she wants to complete a nine-month internship.

I had hoped the Minister for Social Protection would be here because I had wanted to ask her to bring the date for authentication forward to 1 July at the latest. This would give schools a turnaround time of two months once their applications are accepted.

Minister of State at the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (Deputy Dinny McGinley)

JobBridge, the national internship scheme, has made significant progress since it commenced on 1 July 2011. As of 6 June 2013, 17,986 individuals had commenced JobBridge internships, 6,045 were in active internships and 2,078 internship opportunities were advertised on the JobBridge website. The independent evaluation of the scheme carried out by Indecon International economic consultants and published by the Taoiseach and the Minister for Social Protection on 1 May showed that 61% of those who completed an internship five or more months ago had progressed into employment. These progression outcomes are exceptionally positive and compare extremely favourably with European averages in this area.

The aim of JobBridge is to assist individuals to bridge the gap between unemployment and the world of work. In the current labour market, JobBridge provides individuals with a unique opportunity to secure work experience in a new field. This is a win-win situation for all parties involved. Interns gain valuable work experience which enhances their skills and competencies while the organisations involved benefit from fresh talent and ideas from people who could be excellent future employees.

The Department of Social Protection is committed to the continual monitoring and review of the JobBridge scheme, including its eligibility criteria, on an ongoing basis. Any individual who wishes to report a suspected abuse of the JobBridge scheme is invited to contact the JobBridge team directly. All such claims are fully investigated. In addition to investigations, the Department carries out random monitoring visits and requires all host organisations to complete monthly compliance protocols. More than 2,100 monitoring visits have been conducted to date and, very encouragingly, 98% of these visits have been satisfactory. Remedial action is taken in cases of non-compliance.

As of 11 June, there were 487 interns in the education sector. The Department takes the view that internships in the education sector are a special case where interns, who under the terms of the scheme are entitled to receive a high quality real workplace experience, are at risk of missing out on that high quality internship experience during academic holidays. I accept there may be some circumstances where an education sector internship experience would not be affected by the academic holidays but, as the House will appreciate, it would not be feasible to review and examine all placements advertised within the education sector on a case-by-case basis. Therefore, a clear and transparent operational decision was made that all such placements must coincide with the academic year. Deadlines have been introduced, before and after which education sector internships will not be approved.

Applications are dealt with by the national contact centre in Edenderry, County Offaly, from 1 August to mid-September in the case of nine-month internships or to mid-December in the case of six-month internships. Given the large number of applications processed by the national contact centre and to ensure internships in the education sector are not disrupted by the long summer holiday period, the Department operates a window system for receipt and processing of applications for internships in the education sector. For the academic year 2013-14, this window commences on 1 August and terminates on 6 December 2013. Unfortunately, it is not possible to vary these dates as to do so could result in internship periods running into the summer holiday period in 2014. This decision was clearly advertised on the home page of the JobBridge website and every effort is made by the Department to provide reasonable notice of this arrangement to potential education sector host organisations.

The Department works with stakeholders to make JobBridge as easy to administer as possible, but our first concern is to ensure interns are not idle, abused or deprived of the high quality real workplace internship experience they deserve. It is in the interest of the taxpayer as well as the jobseeker that we maximise future employment opportunities.

Senator Marie Moloney

I could have done without the first part of the Minister of State's reply because it merely outlined statistics we already know. All I wanted was a response to my request. The reply given is contradictory to what I asked. The Minister of State stated: "it is not possible to vary these dates as to do so could result in internship periods running into the summer holiday period in 2014". What I have suggested would have the opposite effect because interns would be able to start earlier, at the beginning of the school year, instead of waiting until mid to late September. If the date for authentication were brought forward to 1 July, schools would be ready to roll when the school year starts because they would have completed the Garda vetting process. As Garda vetting takes six to eight weeks, there is no way schools can be ready to take on interns at the start of the school year if they commence the process on 1 August. I am not happy with the Minister of State's reply and I believe the matter should be raised with the Minister for Social Protection. The answer is not appropriate to my question.

Deputy Dinny McGinley

I appreciate the points that the Senator is making. Unfortunately, the Minister for Social Protection is unable to attend the House but I assure the Senator that her concerns about the reply that I delivered will be conveyed to the Minister at the earliest opportunity. Perhaps the Senator will have a further opportunity to do the same thing.

As the statistics indicate, almost 18,000 people have participated on the scheme. That is a very significant number. There may be some tweaking to do but I cannot give a commitment that it will be done. I am obliged to leave that matter to the Minister's discretion. I have no direct responsibility in this matter because I serve in a different Department. Nevertheless, I am of the view that the Minister, who is a reasonable person, would certainly entertain any proposals that would lead to the operation of the scheme being improved.

Senator Marie Moloney

I thank the Minister of State. I do not believe he is at fault in any way in this matter.

Architectural Heritage

Senator Lorraine Higgins

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Ring, for coming before the House to take this matter, which relates to the well-being of and future plans relating to the artefacts from Yeats' Tower at Thoor Ballylee outside Gort in County Galway. As he is probably aware, this building and the artefacts contained within it are, from a historical, recreational and cultural perspective, of special importance to the people of south Galway. He may also be aware that the building was completely restored - replete with a collection of first editions of Yeats' work and also items of furniture - by the Kiltartan Gregory Cultural Society in 1965. Following the flooding of the Cloon River in 2009, however, Thoor Ballylee was extensively damaged and has since not been open to the public. All of the furniture and ancillary items were removed an placed in storage. Despite significant works recently undertaken by Fáilte Ireland to protect the structure, it appears unlikely that Thoor Ballylee will ever be reopened in its previous capacity as a point of interest for tourists.

I previously raised this issue on the Adjournment in the Seanad. At that stage, the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht indicated that responsibility for the building may very well be transferred to his Department and stated that he is considering the possibility of establishing a cultural and educational centre there, which I very much welcome. I am raising this matter again because the tower and the artefacts previously held there are critical to any tourism revival in south Galway. Shortly after becoming a public representative in 2011, I set about working extensively on this issue as a means of maximising the area's connection to W. B. Yeats. Thoor Ballylee is steeped in connections with Yeats. He took up residence there in 1917 and used it as a summer home for his family until he left in 1929. South Galway has suffered badly in recent years and it needs a tourism boost. The allocation of some of the artefacts from the tower in alternative accommodation is critical to the revival of the tourism sector in the area.

The south Galway connection to Yeats should be just as important in the context of tourism as is the poet's grave in Drumcliffe, County Sligo, which tens of thousands of people visit annually. The latter highlights the tourism potential of Thoor Ballylee to south Galway and the people who live there. I have always advocated the tower being reopened. I wrote to the Minister to request that funding be made available to facilitate such an eventuality. If the tower is reopened, it is unlikely that all of the artefacts relating to it will be able to be housed there because, as already stated, it is proposed to put in place a cultural and educational centre at the site. I request, therefore, that the Minister consider housing the artefacts relating to and previously contained in Thoor Ballylee in alternative accommodation, such as local museums or other suitable locations, in Gort and the surrounding area. If this is done, members of the public will be able to view the artefacts and the area will receive a tourism boost. I look forward to the Minister of State's response.

Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (Deputy Michael Ring)

I am taking this matter, which relates to the future display of those artefacts relating to and previously contained within Yeats' Tower at Thoor Ballylee, on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Varadkar. The importance of Thoor Ballylee is fully recognised. As the Senator is aware, Thoor Ballylee is the former holiday home of W. B. Yeats. The tower house was given by Michael Yeats - the son of W. B. Yeats' - to the regional tourism authority, Ireland West, and transferred to Fáilte Ireland in 2006 when the authority was amalgamated with it.

I know that Senator Higgins is au fait with the situation which obtains in this instance and that she debated the issue with my colleague, the Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills, Deputy Cannon, last month. However, by way of background for other Senators, I wish to explain that Ireland West was among a number of regional tourism authorities that were amalgamated with Fáilte Ireland at that time. It is important that Senators be aware that on taking over the regional tourism authorities, Fáilte Ireland also took on the operation of an extensive network of tourism information offices throughout the country. It is also important to be aware that the management and staffing of these offices, their opening hours and their locations are administrative and operational matters for Fáilte Ireland. In view of the pressure on the public finances and in response to changes in the needs of tourists, like many other State agencies, Fáilte Ireland continues to reconfigure service delivery, reshape its services and prioritise the locations where tourism information offices are provided. As part of this process, Fáilte Ireland has been working in partnership with local communities, where possible, in the provision of tourism information by local groups and businesses. During 2011 and 2012, Fáilte Ireland established a good track record in this regard when co-operation with local communities ensured that many tourism information offices that might otherwise have closed have remained open. Fáilte Ireland has outsourced the provision of smaller tourist information offices across the country and, to date, approximately 40% of these offices have been taken over by local authorities, chambers of commerce and community groups. Fáilte Ireland does not operate tourism attractions and where it inherited such, it disposed of its interest at an appropriate stage.

In the context of the specific situation at Thoor Ballylee, Senators will be aware that this area of Galway was badly affected by flooding in 2009. The tower house was extensively damaged by this flooding and has been closed ever since. In 2012, Fáilte Ireland spent €200,000 in weatherproofing the building and protecting its fabric but, as matters stand, it is not fit for occupation and further work will be required if the building is to reopen. However, it would not represent value for money for Fáilte Ireland to make any further investment in the tower house as the number of visitors who sought tourist information when the house was open was too small to justify spending scarce resources on reopening the building as a tourist information office. In light of this, it is clear that Thoor Ballylee will not be used by Fáilte Ireland. As a result, other possible uses for it - outside the remit of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport and its agencies - are being explored. The Minister, Deputy Varadkar, has suggested that it might serve as a cultural and heritage centre. This matter has been raised with the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Deenihan, who, it is understood, is considering the position.

The future of the building will, needless to say, have a large bearing on the future location of the artefacts. That said, it must be emphasised that the future of the building and the associated artefacts is primarily a matter for Fáilte Ireland. In that context, Fáilte Ireland is concerned with the protection of the artefacts and that the integrity of the collection, which has been accrued over a number of years, will be maintained. Fáilte Ireland has shown that it is prepared to be flexible in respect of the display of the Yeats' material and recently loaned out some of the artefacts for Sligo's second Yeats Day which takes place tomorrow. I am pleased to advise the Senator that Fáilte Ireland has advised that it would be prepared to agree to a similar local arrangement, provided that local interests can identify a suitable organisation with the ability to give the appropriate assurances regarding the display and protection of the artefacts. Such an organisation would have to be in a position to enter into a legal agreement with Fáilte Ireland because, as I am sure the Senator will appreciate, the artefacts must be safeguarded for future generations.

Senator Lorraine Higgins

I thank the Minister for his reply. I am absolutely thrilled with the content of the reply. It is great that museums and similar entities in the area may now be in a position to enter into negotiations with the Department in the context of housing some of the priceless artefacts from Thoor Ballylee. In light of my background as a barrister, I would be delighted to offer legal assistance to any of those museums in south County Galway which may wish to house some of the artefacts and keep alive the spirit of W. B. Yeats and bring a tourism boost to the area.

Deputy Michael Ring

I again thank the Senator for raising this extremely important issue. I agree that these artefacts should, where possible, be given to the community.

As Fáilte Ireland has stated, they must be safe and protected. We have too many artefacts in storage. Recently a gun was given back to the Mountbatten family after 40 years. Artefacts should be displayed and given to the community where possible. As the Cathaoirleach knows with regard to Turlough House, artefacts found in our county are in safe storage in Dublin. Where possible, artefacts should be displayed in the county in which they were found.

State Examinations Issues

An Cathaoirleach

I welcome the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Quinn, to the House. Senator Clune will share time with Senator Barrett.

Senator Deirdre Clune

I thank the Minister for coming to the House to respond to this matter which asks for a full inquiry into how mistakes were made, particularly in the leaving certificate honours maths paper. The State Examinations Commission has apologised and stated it could have caused stress. It caused a lot of stress and distress. The subject of honours maths has received much attention recently. I have always been a supporter of awarding bonus points for the subject, which is reflected in the uptake of the subject and of related courses at third level, which is very positive and necessary. Honours maths is a difficult subject and this has been acknowledged. It can cause a lot of stress and students are advised to give 15 minutes to each question. The three angles of a triangle in one of the questions did not add up to 360° and this should have been spotted. The fact the solution did not work out would have caused further stress to students. The conditions under which students found themselves were not uniform. The State Examinations Commission has stated the possible impact will be taken into account when completing the marking system. It is very difficult to have a consistent approach.

It is particularly unfortunate this has occurred in the honours maths paper. With the introduction of project maths quite a number of papers must be produced but we should have checks and balances. We need a report so that teachers and students who sit the exam next year can have confidence and we can see what exactly went wrong. It is easy to stand back and examine these issues in the cold light of day but the highly stressed situation of an exam hall must be factored into our reaction to this matter, into examining the papers and into preparing the papers for next year.

Senator Sean D. Barrett

I welcome the Minister to the House. We are all on the same side. Not that long ago the Minister wished 116,845 people good luck in the examinations. We had a very good discussion in the House yesterday but it was overshadowed by much less creative events.

Mistakes were made and the apologies so far have been like those give by one senior counsel to another. This is the State apologising to 15 year olds and a little more sympathy is required. I know this is the Minister's nature because I have known him for such a long time. People do not want to apologise because they are afraid they may end up in court. This involves young people who are under great stress, as Senator Clune stated. We should consider some forms of redress also. The apology stated that these errors may have caused some distress and confusion. They did so and the word "may" should be removed. This is a stressful period. The Minister is trying to tell other education stories other than on exams and it is unfortunate this happened.

Two mistakes were made in question 8 but the apology was for an error. The apology also states no candidate will be disadvantaged by the more significant error. The two errors were with regard to an internal angle and an external angle. The Minister is an architect and Senator Clune is an engineer and it is a pity we did not have such expertise to correct the errors.

The ordinary level paper for project maths also contained two mistakes as it contained two items which were not on the syllabus in questions 5(b) and 5(c) and only one has been apologised for. No apology has been issued with regard to question 6(b) on the ordinary paper, which 40,000 students took. They were asked to construct an axial symmetry which was not on the syllabus. The junior certificate exam also contained a typo as one of the questions should have read -1 -4 and not the two put together -14. The statement apologised for some of the errors to the 15,000 students who sat the leaving certificate higher level paper 2, to the 1,276 students who sat the ordinary paper, the 2,441 who sat the foundation paper and the 1,500 who sat the junior certificate paper. Another 30,000 were a victim of another junior certificate error and another 40,000 students should have an apology for the axial symmetry question.

The custom is that when errors are made they are read out before the exam starts. We must do away with this. The exam is tense enough without students wondering what they heard. If there is a written error the correction should be in writing. Erratum slips are inserted into publications and this should be the practice for exams. We must liaise much more with the mathematics teachers' association. We need them involved in the proof reading and printing. With the support of everyone in the Oireachtas, including this House, the Government has the goal of having science and technology as the way to go. Another disturbing report has been issued today by the Educational Research Centre about our deficiencies in this regard. What happened in the exam does not help with an important national goal which we all share.

This must be corrected. The 116,000 students affected want redress. I would give full marks to anybody who attempted question 8. The apology stated every effort will be made to ensure no candidates will be disadvantaged by the more significant error in question but two errors were made. This subject gives bonus points for getting into high point faculties. I know the Minister has other ideas about this, and we share them, but at present these points are needed and we are causing distress to 116,000 students. Perhaps the State Examinations Commission should have been less legalistic and more altruistic and sympathetic, as we all are, towards 14 to 18 year olds at this difficult time in their careers.

Minister for Education and Skills (Deputy Ruairí Quinn)

I thank the Senators for raising the matter. At the start of these exams I stated that while 116,000 young students sit them at least 500,000 relatives, parents, brothers, sisters and everybody else do the exams alongside them, so this is a much bigger issue. It is not unique to this country, but it certainly generates far more coverage than would normally be the case. I will ensure the comments made in this Adjournment matter are brought directly to the attention of the State Examinations Commission.

The State Examinations Commission was established as an independent agency in 2003 to deal with the operational issues relating to State examinations. Running the examinations is an immense logistical operation. The examinations involve more than 116,500 candidates in more than 4,900 main examination centres and 10,000 special centres. The process also involves more than 250 different test instruments, 90 curricular and 15 non-curricular subjects. It is a big logistical test.

The State Examinations Commission has indicated that question 8 on Monday's leaving certificate maths higher level paper 2 contained, as Senator Barrett correctly stated, not one error but two.

The commission has advised me that there were also errors in three other mathematics papers, both leaving and junior certificate, provided to candidates this year. The SEC acknowledges that these errors may have caused confusion and distress for some candidates, and it has apologised publicly. I accept that it did cause confusion to many people.

The process of creating an examination paper encompasses a number of stages including drafting, setting, proofing, translating and signing-off stages. The development of examination papers is controlled through a range of guidelines and protocols that govern the work of the personnel involved. The Chief Examiner for each subject is responsible for the preparation of examination papers and their marking schemes, and has overall responsibility for the content, standard and quality of examination papers. I presume that includes accuracy as well.

Contract personnel with relevant subject expertise and experience are appointed and comprehensively trained to draft and set the examination papers under the supervision of the Chief Examiner. At each stage of the drafting-setting process the examination paper is proofread and reviewed by the setting team in accordance with the Commission's procedures. The proofing process involves the review, revision and processing of edits to the draft material. The SEC's protocols require marking schemes and, in subjects such as mathematics, worked solutions to be prepared in tandem with examination papers, and assessment grids are used to ensure that questions on examination papers are on the published syllabus. I have to tell the Senators that concern has been raised about that matter as well, separate to what we have been speaking about.

Although the SEC has a range of procedures in place to enhance reliability and to minimise error, it is an unfortunate fact that errors can occur on examination papers from time to time. On occasion, errors are not detected in advance and come to light during or after the sitting of the examination. The SEC aims to preside over a system that is completely error free. However, it is recognised in examining circles that this will always be an aspiration rather than a completely achievable goal.

The SEC has expressed its regret for these errors, and I welcome that it has done so. When errors occur, the SEC must focus on two issues. As a priority, it seeks to ensure that no candidate is disadvantaged as a result of an error that has occurred. Therefore, the impact of these errors on students' answers will be taken into account by the Chief Examiner when finalising the marking schemes for these exams. The marking schemes will, as usual, be published along with those in all other subjects after the issue of results, in mid-August in the case of the leaving certificate and in mid-September for the junior certificate. Leaving certificate students can view their marked examinations scripts to see how the published marking scheme has been applied to their work, while all students have the option of appealing their results. Then, in the context of the specific error, the SEC reviews its existing processes and procedures in order to implement measures to strengthen the quality assurance underpinning the preparation of examination papers.

I assure the House that I have asked the SEC to report to me comprehensively on this issue. In particular, I will bring to its attention and to the attention of the Chief Examiner the remarks made by Senator Barrett and Senator Clune on the impact any marking system might have on the outcome for students, particularly leaving certificate students to whom CAO options are of critical concern.

Senator Deirdre Clune

I thank the Minister. I welcome that he will ask for a full and extensive report. I welcome in particular his comments on those students who will be expecting points for their CAO courses. It is important to acknowledge that.

Senator Sean D. Barrett

I thank the Minister for yet again illustrating his hands-on approach to these matters. The suggestion of announcing that there is a mistake in something in writing is not good enough. When these errors are discovered after printing we should be able to print erratum slips to deal with that because I can imagine difficulties arising under examination conditions if an announcement is made in what may be a very large hall, where acoustical difficulties may arise. If the error is in print the correction should be in print, and I ask the Minister to consider that.

The SEC should comment on the fact that more errors than were apologised for have since come to light, and we have drawn attention to those in the mathematics papers and perhaps be more fulsome in its apology. We are talking about young people of 14 or 15 years of age doing the junior certificate and this could give them a bad impression of education. We are all there to try to help restore Ireland for them, and this is not a very good start.

I appreciate the Minister's sincerity and involvement, and I thank Senator Clune for raising the matter on the Adjournment. I wish the Minister well. His attitude towards young people and students might help to inform some of these apologies and explanations. On "Morning Ireland" Cathal Mac Coille was worried that the tone was to justify the organisation and not to consider the 116,000 young people, as the Minister did on the day the examinations started.

Deputy Ruairí Quinn

I thank the two Senators again for raising this matter in the Seanad. I will bring the details of this debate directly to the attention of the chairman and the chief executive of the SEC. I will also ask them to indicate the steps they propose to take to make sure that the concerns expressed about the errors in the mathematics paper in particular, in addition to the other errors, can be addressed and to outline the early warning mechanism available to us. The logistics are extraordinary. We all make mistakes, and mistakes will be made into the future, but if a mistake is made after the printing we need to know the corrections that can be put into the papers. I would not hold out much prospect in that regard because of the sheer logistics involved but I will certainly raise it with them and see what can be done.

The Seanad adjourned at 6.50 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 13 June 2013.

Seanad Éireann debate - Wednesday, 12 Jun 2013