Deirdre Clune (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 572: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the amount his Department has contributed to the discover science and engineering programme for each year since its establishment; the way budgetary cutbacks have been implemented in 2009; the effects of these cutbacks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17451/09]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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Discover Science & Engineering (DSE), was established in October 2003 with the aim of raising general awareness of the Physical Sciences and engineering among students, teachers and members of the public. This programme brought together and developed many existing awareness strategies in a unified strategy. Its overall objectives are to increase the numbers of students studying the physical sciences, promote a positive attitude to careers in science, engineering and technology and to foster a greater understanding of science and its value to Irish society. The DSE is managed by Forfás on behalf of the Office of Science & Technology at the Department of Enterprise Trade & Employment and is funded by that Department.

Current Discover Science and Engineering initiatives include activities under Science Week, science on TV and in other media, websites, and a range of initiatives designed to engage students with science, engineering and technology. These include Discover Sensors at junior cycle, Transition Year "ProjectBlogger.ie" and a national campaign to promote careers in science, technology and engineering, working in partnership with a range of stakeholders in industry and education.

Discover Primary Science is a key project run by the DSE programme that aims to develop creativity in children and show them how important science is to every day life. The project provides teacher training through a training of trainers initiative, visiting speakers to schools and an activity pack which provides a range of fun activities in support of the revised Primary School Science curriculum. At second level, the Discover Sensors project is providing structured training and resources to support science teachers in the teaching of the junior science curriculum. There is also a network of Discovery Centre which schools can visit. The DSE is working closely with the primary and second level support services which provide professional development for teachers, as well as the National Centre for Technology in Education (NCTE), the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) to complement and supplement the investment of my Department in science education.