Deirdre Clune (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

I accept the Minister's argument that for Ireland to become a knowledge-based economy and less dependent on manufacturing, we need to move up the value chain and increase the number of graduates available to work in these industries.

My question was related to the fall-off in the uptake of science subjects at second level. A recent competitiveness report stated that one weakness facing Ireland was the lack of uptake of science and mathematics at second level. The number of students entering third level taking up ICT courses has dropped by 58% since 2000. While the strategy for science, technology and innovation outlines improvements in the take-up of science subjects, no specific targets have been set. How can the innovation policy be progressed without the pool of students to satisfy it?

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