Bereavement flexibility for second-level students to be in place for 2027 State exams

Help with exam timekeeping for and more flexibility for students suffering bereavements are among supports set to be in place for next year’s State exams. Minister for Education Hildegarde Naughton is to brief Cabinet on new measures in the Reasonable Accommodations at Certificate Examinations (Race) scheme.It offers special arrangements for Junior and Leaving Certificate students aimed at removing barriers for students with disabilities, learning difficulties, medical conditions and other additional needs, while maintaining the same academic standards for all candidates.Supports already on offer include additional exam time and scribes to do the writing on behalf of students.READ MOREPlanned new measures for 2027 are help with timekeeping in the form of a person being provided through schools to offer guidance such as ensuring a student is not spending too much time on any one question. There is to be more flexibility for students experiencing the bereavement of an immediate family member during exams. This will be available through the deferred examinations scheme which allows students to take exams – specially developed deferred sitting papers – at a later date. Modified large-print exam papers are to be piloted for certain Junior and Leaving Cert subjects for students with visual impairments.Separately, Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment Darragh O’Brien is expected to seek Government approval for a draft of the delayed Climate Action Plan for 2026 before it proceeds through environmental assessment screening processes. Once such processes are complete it is due to go back to Government for approval and publication before the end of the year. Minister for Housing James Browne is to update colleagues on a 57 per cent increase in starter home supports delivered in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025.[ Minister for Justice says State ‘well prepared to deal with threats’ ahead of high-profile EU meetingsOpens in new window ]Almost 4,700 supports – including under the starter home purchase and first home schemes, cost rental homes, and the vacant property refurbishment grant – were delivered in the first six months of the year. Meanwhile, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission’s (CCPC) strategy for 2027 to 2029 includes plans for increased fines for breaches of consumer law and proposals to crack down on artificial intelligence (AI) scams and misleading bots.The strategy is to be brought to Cabinet by Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke, who will also update his colleagues on plans for a trade mission to India. The Team Ireland trade mission is to be led by Taoiseach Micheál Martin, with Burke and a number of other Ministers due to travel as part of efforts to boost engagement with the world’s sixth largest economy. Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon will update Cabinet on negotiations on the next European Union Common Agricultural Policy (Cap), which he is involved with as part of Ireland’s presidency of the Council of the EU. This follows unanimous agreement on a “partial general approach” with the other 26 EU states on the Cap regulation – essentially an agreement of all elements of the Cap that do not have a financial or budgetary component. The agreement includes an emphasis on generational renewal with provisions for young farmers. It is seen as an important step forward in negotiations as it establishes the EU Council’s position in the next step of negotiations with the European Parliament and Commission. Minister for Children Norma Foley is to brief colleagues on the midterm review of the Nurturing Skills workforce plan for childcare. It is understood there has been continued improvement in the qualification levels, with the proportion of early years educators holding a relevant degree increasing from 12 per cent in 2012 to 39 per cent in 2025.