Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

I wish Deputy Terence Flanagan well. Cuirim fáilte roimhe go dtí an Teach. The numbers vary within the different colleges, but it is not possible to indicate from which specific constituency people come. The Deputy will be aware of the increased participation rate in third level education from people in all constituencies, particularly his constituency, which is encouraging. The percentage intake of disadvantaged students to St. Patrick's College, Drumcondra over the past five years has grown from 0.5% to 1%. The figure for Mary Immaculate College in Limerick is more encouraging and has been at 5.12%, 5.12% and 4.7%. It is hitting its target for disadvantaged students and I know some people have been offered places through different schemes.

The figures for St. Patrick's College are curious. It is not that the college is not taking disadvantaged students, but often it does not get enough applications to fill the places available, perhaps because the college has confined the places to students from DEIS and Dublin schools. I wish to point out, to encourage students, that the college is very generous with support to students once they have been accepted. Perhaps we need to give students that message.

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