Leaving certificate students are preparing for their written examinations next week. They have been through a very difficult year or so, and have lost an awful lot of time, but have borne it with much dignity and commitment. I know from my experience of talking to them that they would have been very frustrated and disappointed by yesterday's news that the results will be out late, on 3 September, which is about three weeks later than usual. They have received no explanation for this. I was amazed that the Department of Education press release did not mention Central Applications Office dates. Can the Tánaiste give us some information on that? Specifically, can he guarantee that no students will lose places? I am particularly conscious of students studying outside this jurisdiction. A student in the Netherlands who needs to submit results to a university by 31 August was in contact with me; the course starts on 1 September and results will not be given until 3 September. Can the Tánaiste guarantee that students like that, and students in this jurisdiction, will not lose out on their places?

I agree that students and leaving certificate students have had a very difficult year. In fact, this year's leaving certificate students have had two years of disrupted learning as a consequence of the pandemic. The news that the results are coming late, in the first week of September, is unwelcome, but I understand that despite the best efforts of everyone involved it is the quickest it can be done under the new arrangements. I can certainly guarantee that nobody will lose their place in this jurisdiction as a consequence of that. I cannot make commitments in relation to other jurisdictions but issues will arise. The Deputy mentioned the Netherlands. An issue may arise for people applying for courses in Britain through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, UCAS. We will do everything we can to iron that out and do our best to make sure nobody is disadvantaged.