Vol. 432 No. 8
106 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Education the reason a person (details supplied) in Dublin 11 who is dyslexic and whose examination by the Department of Education for special consideration consisted of a reading test from a fourth class primary school reader was not given special consideration when sitting the Junior Certificate examination; and if she will receive special consideration when her examination papers are being marked.
Details of my Department's scheme of special consideration were set out in my reply to Question No. 109 on 13 May. In the particular case referred to by the Deputy the position is that an application for special consideration on the grounds of a specific learning difficulty was made to my Department on 18 November 1992 by the candidate's school. Samples of the candidate's written work and a report from a psychologist attached to the Mater Child and Family Centre accompanied the application.
The application was referred to my Department's Psychological Service for consideration. My Department's psychologist considered the psychological report and the samples of the written work and met the candidate in the course of investigating the case. He noted that she is able to read sample papers and that her scripts are legible. He concluded that in these circumstances special consideration is not warranted.
This decision was communicated to the school on 31 May.
