Claims Clare Families Pushed To Pin Of Collars With Exam Fees

Absolutely, and these letters are written at a time when people are being hammered by the rapid

increases in fuel costs, that we're saying at the minute. And, you know, education is a

fundamental right. It should not come with the bill attached and it's cruel. It's completely out

of touch. And it tells working families everything they need to go to know about this government

and priorities. Budget 26 contained no cost living package. We're in the middle of an

ever-warsening crisis and families in our face in a fresh financial hit. And we're here in this

in the office. We're here in it when we're right on the doors. And I just think that the

government are so out of touch, they don't listen to what the people on the ground are telling them.

And I'm sure, Donna, you will acknowledge as well that there is quite a level of administration

fees for whether that's for the State Examination's Commission to publish exam papers year after year

to publish mock papers. And with the data and the admin that goes with the leaving cert, with

even the results, with rechecks, with pain and vigilators, I'm sure you're acknowledged that there

is some cost involved to the State as well. Well, we're calling on the Minister to reverse

this decision immediately. And I mean, if the government can find billions of tax breaks and

corporate welfare, they can find the money needed to keep these exam fees abolished. You know,

this is all about priorities. And right now, this government priorities are nowhere near the kitchen

tables of working families. And that's what the reality is on the ground. Obviously,

the payments do have to be made this week. It seems unlikely that they will be reversed.

Do you think there's any, I know, obviously, you don't want to see a compromise,

you just want to see them gone, but do you think there's anything the government could do to

ease pressure at this time, or maybe that might be a halfway house?

Well, no, we want to abolish that's what we're calling for. We're calling for the Minister

to reverse this decision immediately before these bills have to be paid. And anybody that has

paid needs to be refunded. It's cruel. It really is cruel and completely early touch. And as you

say, there, you know, some, they're saying it could be just, it's only 109 euro per junior trip.

But as you say, there's people like there with twins. So it's, or they might have more than one

student in Leven cert and junior cert. So it's not just going to one figure. There could be

multiple figures hitting the same household at a time when they're actually deciding can they

even hate their homes?