Topics / State Examinations

A subject heading for parliamentary questions

State Examinations

233 questions from 77 TDs, between 22 January 2025 and 20 October 2026.

233
questions
231 written, 2 oral
77
TDs have asked
10
parties and groups
Independents counted together
5
departments asked

Questions per month

The record holds no questions for August, when the Dáil does not sit.

Jan 2025Oct 2026
Show as a table
MonthQuestions
January 20253
February 20252
March 20254
April 202544
May 20259
June 202512
July 20253
August 20250
September 202512
October 20257
November 202510
December 20255
January 20266
February 202613
March 202623
April 202628
May 202610
June 202622
July 20267
August 20260
September 202610
October 20263

Who asks, by party

The party each TD belonged to on the day, in alphabetical order. Parties differ a lot in size, and members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them, so this shows who raised it, not how much a party cares about it.

  • 100% RDR1 from 1 TD · 1 seat today
  • Aontú12 from 2 TDs · 2 seats today
  • Fianna Fáil37 from 15 TDs · 48 seats today
  • Fine Gael43 from 12 TDs · 38 seats today
  • Independent13 from 7 TDs · 15 seats today
  • Independent Ireland10 from 3 TDs · 4 seats today
  • Labour Party27 from 9 TDs · 11 seats today
  • People Before Profit-Solidarity7 from 3 TDs · 3 seats today
  • Sinn Féin52 from 18 TDs · 39 seats today

The TDs who asked most

Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them. Each question counts once.

  1. 18
  2. 16
  3. 12
  4. 11
  5. 9
  6. 9
  7. 7
  8. 7

Asked of

Debated under the same heading

Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.

The questions

Donna McGettigan Written 24 Jun 2026 · to Education
185. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether the State Examinations Commission issues any guidance, instructions, policies, protocols, circulars, retention schedules or other documents to schools in connection with the provision of State Examination results, records of results and result transcripts, including provisional and final results; whether any such documents set out the pur…
Donna McGettigan Written 24 Jun 2026 · to Education
186. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the information, guidance or explanations made available by the State Examinations Commission, by her Department or schools to students and parents regarding the purposes for which State Examination results, provisional results and records of results provided to schools may subsequently be retained, used, disclosed, shared or otherwise processed …
Ann Graves Written 23 Jun 2026 · to Education
348. Deputy Ann Graves asked the Minister for Education and Youth to review the 2026 Leaving Certificate biology higher paper concerning a question on genetics (details sup[plied), [47319/26]
Danny Healy-Rae Written 23 Jun 2026 · to Education
354. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Youth for a review of procedures for exam students regarding family bereavements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47372/26]
Danny Healy-Rae Written 18 Jun 2026 · to Education
275. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on a Leaving Certificate query (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46416/26]
George Lawlor Written 18 Jun 2026 · to Education
277. Deputy George Lawlor asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is aware of concerns raised regarding the Leaving Cert higher level mathematics examination, particularly paper one; if she has received correspondence on this matter from a person (details supplied) setting out their concerns; her response to issues raised; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46448/26]
John Connolly Written 17 Jun 2026 · to Education
74. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Youth the review that has been or will be undertaken by her Department or the State Examinations Commission into the difficulty, structure and fairness of the 2026 Leaving Certificate higher level mathematics papers 1 and 2; if any adjustments to marking schemes or grading processes are being considered in light of concerns raised by students, parents and …
Ken O'Flynn Written 16 Jun 2026 · to Education
445. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether she has been informed of concerns raised by students, parents, teachers or representative bodies regarding the 2026 Leaving Certificate higher level mathematics paper 1; the quality assurance, review and approval procedures which apply to the setting of State examination papers by the State Examinations Commission; whether she has been informe…
Ken O'Flynn Written 16 Jun 2026 · to Education
446. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department or the State Examinations Commission has received representations regarding the 2026 Leaving Certificate higher level mathematics paper 1; whether she has sought assurances from the State Examinations Commission that any concerns raised will be considered through its established marking, grading and review processes; whether any…
Ken O'Flynn Written 16 Jun 2026 · to Education
447. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether the Government has been briefed on concerns expressed regarding the 2026 Leaving Certificate higher level mathematics paper 1; whether he is satisfied that the current statutory and governance framework applying to the State Examinations Commission provides sufficient transparency, accountability and oversight in relation to the setting and re…
Darren O'Rourke Written 16 Jun 2026 · to Education
496. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the estimated cost to abolish Junior and Leaving Certificate exam fees; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45666/26]
Eoin Hayes Written 16 Jun 2026 · to Education
510. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Education and Youth the rationale for the sequencing of the Leaving Certificate appeals process and the CAO offers process in 2026, whereby the provisional date for the release of Leaving Certificate appeal results is 25 September 2026, after the issue and acceptance deadlines for rounds one to four of CAO offers; whether she has assessed the risk that students whose grad…
Richard Boyd Barrett Written 16 Jun 2026 · to Education
518. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth her views on the recent Leaving Certificate honours maths papers; if she acknowledges that the 25% uplift was introduced to encourage more students to choose honours maths but if papers are exceptionally difficult as reported this year, this will run counter to the reason the uplift was introduced; and if she will make a statement on the matt…
Richard Boyd Barrett Written 16 Jun 2026 · to Education
519. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is aware that in the recent Leaving Certificate biology examination, the exam booklet credits a website (details supplied) for making diagrams for the exam and that this is an AI generation tool for biology questions; her views on students’ assertion that some of the diagrams, notably the one on meiosis and mitosis, were incorrect; if …
Malcolm Byrne Written 9 Jun 2026 · to Education
737. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Youth the total number of students who sat politics and society as a subject at second level for the Leaving Certificate, each year since its inception, in tabular form. [41486/26]
Malcolm Byrne Written 9 Jun 2026 · to Education
738. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Youth the measures that she is taking to promote the uptake of politics and society as a Leaving Certificate subject; the measures in place to promote civic, social and political education at Junior Cycle; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41487/26]
Pádraig O'Sullivan Written 9 Jun 2026 · to Education
929. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason for the deferral of the revised Leaving Certificate specifications for English and accounting, which were due to be introduced as part of Tranche 2 of the Senior Cycle Redevelopment in the 2026-2027 school year and have now been delayed by at least a year; the revised timeline for their introduction to schools; and if she will make a…
Duncan Smith Written 26 May 2026 · to Education
561. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her attention has been drawn to Ukrainian school children due to sit Junior Certificate exams in June (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39327/26]
Paul Lawless Written 26 May 2026 · to Education
576. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth if any element of the junior certificate cycle or leaving certificate curriculum requires students to have access to a personal laptop outside of school; if project work associated with the revised senior cycle programmes can be fully completed using existing school information technology facilities; and if she will clarify her Department's guidance …
Paul Lawless Written 26 May 2026 · to Education
581. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth her assessment of the impact of the revised senior cycle programme, particularly the increased emphasis on continuous project-based assessment across multiple subjects; the way she intends to address concerns that this has created an expectation that students must have access to a personal laptop; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3952…
Ruth Coppinger Written 26 May 2026 · to Education
631. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Youth given that a one-year extension has been granted to the new Leaving Certificate English specification at the request of the State Examinations Commission, if she will consider an extension to Irish, given that according to experts and many Irish language and educational groups a two-year extension would allow full CEFR alignment; and if she will ma…
Ruth Coppinger Written 26 May 2026 · to Education
633. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Youth given that 20% of those sitting the junior certificate in 2025 had an exemption for Irish her views on whether this as a very high rate; if she will consider measures including supports for schools to reduce this figure; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40138/26]
Jennifer Whitmore Written 26 May 2026 · to Education
639. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education and Youth the measures her Department will take to ensure appropriate accommodations for students with dyslexia, dyspraxia and other neurodivergent learning differences during the leaving certificate examinations, particularly for those who require the use of assistive technology; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40178/26]
Ciarán Ahern Written 12 May 2026 · to Education
570. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will review the payment process for State examination fees; the reason the fees are not collected through schools as part of existing school payment systems; the reason parents are required to use a separate SEC portal with separate log-in details; the reason parents are required to manage a process that schools are structurally closer to; and…
Christopher O'Sullivan Written 6 May 2026 · to Education
443. Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Youth to clarify the anomaly between the fee for Leaving Certificate and the fee charged to repeat the Leaving Certificate; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33136/26]