Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I have a question regarding the ambition of the shared island initiative on the issue of education. I note the head of the shared island unit has highlighted that education is a priority for it. I ask the Taoiseach to put some bones on that and outline what it actually means. I have heard talk of investment in universities. In the past couple of weeks, as we saw members of certain communities rioting, it was clear that one of the many things they have in common, on both sides of the peace wall, is that they come from areas with an extremely low level of educational attainment. Does the Taoiseach believe the shared island initiative can create investment that will finally start to address those issues? I understand research is a priority but there is an abundance of research already available demonstrating that communities with a low level of educational attainment are where issues and confrontations are likely to emerge.

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