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Third Level Admissions

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 4 July 2012

Wednesday, 4 July 2012

Ceisteanna (90, 91, 92, 93, 94)

Olivia Mitchell

Ceist:

90 Deputy Mary Mitchell O’Connor asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide, in tabular form, the number of students who have sat the HPAT exam each year since its inception; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32639/12]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Olivia Mitchell

Ceist:

91 Deputy Mary Mitchell O’Connor asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of children with 600 points who failed the HPAT exam; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32640/12]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Olivia Mitchell

Ceist:

92 Deputy Mary Mitchell O’Connor asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide, in tabular form, the number of students that have repeated the HPAT exam each relevant year since its inception; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32641/12]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Olivia Mitchell

Ceist:

93 Deputy Mary Mitchell O’Connor asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide, in tabular form, the number of students who repeated the HPAT exam and improved their initial result; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32642/12]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Olivia Mitchell

Ceist:

94 Deputy Mary Mitchell O’Connor asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide the lowest leaving certificate point score that received admittance through the HPAT system to medical school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32643/12]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

I propose to take Questions Nos. 90 to 94, inclusive, together.

The information sought by the Deputy is not available in my Department as it has no role to play in determining the admissions criteria or process of selection of students for entry to higher education institutions. The introduction of HPAT in 2009 had regard to the findings of the Working Group on Undergraduate Medical Education and Training: Medical Education in Ireland: A New Direction (the Fottrell report). It recommended that Leaving Certificate results should no longer be the sole selection method for entry to medical education at undergraduate level, but that a two-stage mechanism should be applied consisting of the results obtained in Leaving Certificate and a standardised admissions test which would assess non-academic skills and attributes regarded as important for the practice of medicine. The medical schools, which determine the selection criteria for admission to their programmes, committed to having a review of the new entry mechanism within three years of its introduction. The outcome of this review is awaited. I understand that on its completion, the medical schools intend to publish the findings of the review.

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