I propose to take Questions Nos. 125 and 139 together.
I welcome the submission by the management bodies and the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD) in relation to assessment and moderation which was made in the context of ongoing discussions with the education stakeholders.
On January 17 a national working group of education stakeholders met to discuss issues relating to Junior Cycle. Following that meeting a number of sub-groups were established including one on "Quality Assurance and Support for Teacher Assessment" and "Workload and Implementation Issues for Schools and Teachers". The submission was made to facilitate discussion at these groups.
The issue of external moderation and resources, including posts, fall to be discussed in the sub-groups and in turn reported to the national working group. It is not my intention to pre-empt the conclusions of the sub-group or the national working group. I have asked that a full report be made to me by mid-May and at that point, I will make a final decision on these issues.