asked the Minister for Education if, in view of the recommendations of the final report of the Public Examinations Evaluation Project, he intends (a) establishing an independent examinations board of (b) changing the format of public examinations in order to introduce a greater content of continual assessment: and if he will make a statement on the matter.

I have no immediate proposals under consideration for the establishment of an independent examinations board. I consider that within the present educational structures the use of the various testing techniques mentioned in the Public Examinations Evaluation Project report will commend itself to teachers in general, to the syllabus committees and to examiners. I am satisfied that each syllabus committee will give careful consideration to the report and to the techniques which were used therein. Any adaptations or changes that seem desirable will be made.

Is the Minister aware that it is a matter of extreme regret that he intends to ignore the report of the Public Examinations Evaluation Project? Of course, this is a continuation of a sad story, for instance, the attitude of the Government in respect of the ICE report some years ago. Is there not a need for an independent examination and curricula board in order to ensure that the evaluation of curricula in the schools is kept up to date and flexible in order to meet the changing needs in society, particularly in the technological sphere?

Hear, hear.

My reply covers the points made.

But the Minister is not taking any action. He is allowing the sad situation to continue.

If there is a sad situation continuing, I would like to draw the attention of the House to the Fine Gael document of 1973 regarding the setting up of an examinations board to do all these great things. Heads of a Bill were circulated in 1976 but neither that Bill nor any other piece of legislation reached the Statute Book from 1973 to the middle of 1977. Therefore, I cannot take seriously the contention from Deputy Collins that he wishes to have an examinations board now.

Are we to assume, therefore, that the Minister, too, will stick his head in the sand and allow the unsatisfactory situation to continue? Is it his intention to allow the continuation of a system which allows for a points system to have such detrimental effects educationally on students attending second-level schools?

It has been part of my policy to set up an independent examinations board but if I had published such a policy, the board would have been set up by now.

In other words, the Minister has no intention of setting up such a board.

The matter will remain with the bureaucrats.

That is not true.

The Minister is being led by the bureaucrats.