Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 September 2021
446. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the options that are open to a student to appeal no offer from the CAO due to an error in the application process in cases in which the CAO claims that the exam number of the person was not entered (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44445/21]
View answer450. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will clarify a matter regarding the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44589/21]
View answer466. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his attention has been drawn to the technical issue with the CAO system which affected a number of students such as a student (details supplied) whose exam numbers were rendered as a series of zeros in error and who subsequently were not properly considered for the first round of offers; if a similar issue occurred in previous years; the number of students affected; the efforts that were made to publicise the issue to ensure those affected could remedy it; if extra places will be made available to heavily subscribed courses for those who achieved sufficient points to do the course; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45068/21]
View answer470. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will consult with the Central Applications Office regarding the number of leaving certificate students in 2021 who failed to get any first round offer of a place due to the fact that their leaving certificate exam numbers were included on the CAO application form as a series of zeros in error instead of the correct numbers; if the CAO should have flagged these errors to applicants during the early stage of the application process; if the CAO can consider any special health considerations of applicants who have been the victim of these errors; if steps can be taken to rectify these errors in time for second round offers; if the circumstances of a particular case (details supplied) can be examined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45122/21]
View answer472. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his attention has been drawn to the fact that a leaving certificate student (details supplied) has not been offered a place due to putting his name as Gaeilge on the exam despite the CAO using a unique CAO and exam number; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45144/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 446, 450, 466, 470 and 472 together.
Universities and Institutes of Technology determine their own procedures for admission. The CAO process applications for undergraduate, and some postgraduate, courses on their behalf.
Decisions on admissions are made by the Higher Education Institutions who then instruct the CAO to make offers to successful candidates. Neither I nor my Department have a role in the operation of the CAO and it is not within my remit to intervene in individual cases,.
Where the CAO is notified of an error in an application after Round One offers have issued, they update the account information and ask the higher education institutions to consider them for Round Two. The higher education institutions will then do their best to accommodate applicants with offers on Round Two. A portion of the offers that are issued in Round Two every year are to applicants who need to be accommodated after adjustments have been made due to applicant omissions or errors, or administrative errors caused by the higher education institutions or CAO.
I appreciate that it can be quite upsetting for an applicant to realise their examination information was incorrect, and it is my understanding that every effort is made by CAO and the higher education institutions to facilitate such applicants in Round Two.
If the issue is not resolved the applicant’s satisfaction, the option to appeal is available. The CAO has an Independent Appeals Commission, to which recourse may be had by applicants who believe that they have been treated unfairly by CAO, and whose complaints have not been resolved by CAO. The function of the Appeals Commission is to ensure that the rules are applied fairly.
