David Norris (Independent)

I am sure she has received thousands of letters. The inner city network has made some very good points. According to the census, 15,000 local people in the area left school at or before 15 years of age. Although there has been an increase in educational attainment, much of that is accounted for by people who have moved into the apartments that have been built there in recent years. Less than 3% of local people in one block of flats have had any contact with third level education. We must lift that figure by bringing people together into our developing and now quite rich community. I hope the Minister will find a way of doing this because it is important to include members of the local community in the new Grangegorman project. A strategic plan with practical points is required to spell out how the project can improve the whole community. Let us live up to the idea of social inclusion, ensure that people represent the area and bear in mind that it is quite a complex area. The north west or north inner city is not just one block. It includes Constitution Hill, Rathdown and Grangegorman, North Circular Road, Cabra, Stoneybatter, Smithfield and the markets area.

This is a good day for education in Ireland. We all welcome the Bill and look forward to the development. As Senator O'Rourke, a former Minister for Education, said, we all look forward to the day when we celebrate with our colleagues in the DIT a wonderful day for all of us, not just in Dublin but in Ireland.