My Department operates a number of measures in order to alleviate hardship arising from the payment of examination entry fees.
In the case of necessitous pupils, the ordinary fee payable may be reduced at the discretion of the school principal and subject to a maximum notified to each school or vocational education committee by my Department. My Department has made £400,000 available to schools and vocational education committees for this purpose in connection with the 1995 examinations. This amount is greater than the amount allocated in 1994 by 1.5 per cent, the estimated increase in candidature. There has been no increase in the rates of examination entry fees since 1994.
The amount allocated to each school or committee in respect of 1995 fees has been based on the results of a questionnaire on hardship issued to schools in 1994. Allocations have been increased or reduced, taking into account the particular circumstances in each school.