John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I was taken by the start of Dr. O'Sullivan's opening statement, when she stated quite simply she came from a welfare mindset. When I was reflecting and listening to the questions I was very conscious that a welfare mindset is an individual mindset but it can be a family mindset and in disadvantaged areas it is certainly a community mindset.

Dr. O'Sullivan spoke about access to education. I have often made the point that I represent some areas that are very disadvantaged. I have lived in the same area all my life so I have seen things evolve over a long number of years. Areas that are significantly disadvantaged today are the same areas which experienced that disadvantage ten years ago, 20 years ago and 30 years ago. It is regrettable, and this is not a political charge against anyone, that, despite all of the various programmes, we have not made the significant steps that are necessary. Dr. O'Sullivan mentioned Tallaght but there is the same issue with regard to progression to third level education in other areas.

I do not have the statistical evidence but certainly the anecdotal evidence is that we measure progression to third level, which is published in the newspapers. However, not all third level education is the same, including various FETAC levels. I also have major concern over the capacity to stay and complete third level education. While we are measuring a certain amount of the statistics, the real challenge is posed by areas and communities that have never seen significant progression. I have gone into classrooms in certain schools knowing that no doctor will come out of that classroom. It is not because they do not have the capacity but because a doctor never came out of that school. I have always felt frustrated. If that bundle of students were placed in a completely different school, one could look around the classroom and believe a doctor, a barrister or whatever would emerge from there. How can that long-term mindset in certain communities be broken? It is more than just giving the individuals the opportunity. It is a question of how we can give the community the hope and desire to realise that potential. I may feel downbeat about it because it is an intergenerational issue. While more people are going to school and on to third level education, the community is still experiencing significant levels of disadvantage. I may have gone off on a tangent.