Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 107: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the educational profile of the workforce in each county for 2009; the educational profile of the workforce in each county for each of the past ten years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28332/09]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The educational profile of the labour force is measured by the Quarterly National Household Survey or QNHS and published by the Central Statistics Office. The most recent data on educational levels of the labour force for the last seven years (on a year on year quarterly basis) is set out in the table. This data is not available by county level and backdated data for this series, in its current format, is available to 2003 only. Prior to 2003 data was collected using different criteria and is, therefore, not directly comparable.

Source: CSO, Quarterly National Household Survey, Q1 2009 (January–March 2009)

The educational profile of the labour force has increased significantly since 2003. Over 528,000 people now have a third level degree or above in Quarter 1 2009, an increase of 180,300 since 2003. The Government is committed to developing our economy into one of the world's leading knowledge based economies. That is why last December, in response to the much more challenging economic environment, the Government introduced a Framework for Sustainable Economic Renewal, called "Building Ireland's Smart Economy" which provides us with the necessary roadmap to guide our development over this turbulent period. Ireland continues to possess a pro-business environment, which is characterised by a highly skilled, educated and flexible labour force. The Government actively promotes Ireland as having a highly educated workforce to attract foreign direct investment.