Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 234: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she is satisfied regarding the uptake of third level places in the sciences; if numbers are adequate to meet future requirements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22126/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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There are now almost 9,000 students enrolled on science courses in our Universities and Institutes of Technology at level 8 (honours bachelor degree undergraduate level) and a further 1,300 at level 7/6. In the OECD's international indicator of scientific capability, Ireland is second highest of twenty-nine OECD countries in terms of the output of Science higher-education graduates. This international indicator uses a very broad classification of "science" which includes engineering, computing and mathematics as well as the traditional sciences. Ireland performs particularly strongly in terms of the output of science graduates at Higher Certificate and Ordinary Degree level. At the level of undergraduate and postgraduate Honours Degrees, we have the seventh highest output of science graduates.

The number of students enrolled on Science PhD courses increased by 8% from 1,300 in 2000/01 to 1,400 in 2006/07. Similarly increases of around 10% were seen in Masters Degree enrolments in the same time frame. Over 40% of PhD graduates in 2005 were in the Science disciplines.

According to the National Skills Bulletin for 2006, the overall figure employed in science occupations was 24,400. This figure represented 1.25% of total employment in the economy with employment largely in the manufacture of chemicals and chemical products, and in health and social work.

The report concluded that while no "significant current shortages have been identified in science occupations" in part due to foreign technicians entering the Irish jobs market under the work permit scheme, this may not hold true in the future. The bulletin pointed out that as many more graduate opportunities were being created through government investment in scientific research, any future decline in numbers taking science subjects at undergraduate level could lead to shortages of research scientists in the future.

In order to address any possible shortages, my Department is fully committed to strengthening the quality of science teaching and learning, promoting increased scientific literacy and encouraging more students to choose science subjects. Progress in these areas is a vitally important part of our national strategy to support competitiveness and employment.

Significant progress is being made in regard to curricular reform and in-service support for science at both primary and post-primary levels. In addition the Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation 2006 to 2013 sets out a range of measures to further strengthen science teaching and learning and improve the uptake of senior cycle Physics and Chemistry.