Deirdre Clune (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

With respect, the Minister of State's response merely underlines the fudge on this issue. As he said, the innovation task force recommended the introduction of bonus points for mathematics as essential to the development of the smart economy. The National Competitiveness Council has consistently recommended their introduction, and the same recommendation was included in a report last week by Forfás. Yet the Minister of State, who has responsibility for innovation, is obliged to request academic councils to give the proposal favourable attention. That approach will not deliver what is required. Students who will sit their leaving certificate examination in two years require certainty in terms of their decision to undertake, or not to undertake, the higher level mathematics course. They need certainty, not more waffle, in terms of whether this is going to happen. Dublin City University, DCU, and University College Dublin, UCD, have signed up to it and the institutes of technology will do likewise if it is introduced across the board.

Is the Government serious about this proposal and will it signal to the third level institutions that this is an important issue?

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