Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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Question 19: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the proposals he has to support growth in participation at third level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19410/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Ireland currently performs very strongly in terms of participation in higher education and has the highest tertiary attainment rate among 25-34 year olds in the European Union. Projections published by my Department in June 2011 show that the demand for higher education in Ireland is set to grow by 62% in the next twenty years.

While welcome, the scale of projected growth will present major challenges for Ireland's higher education system in ensuring that student numbers can be accommodated in a sustainable way that does not compromise high quality outcomes.

The National Strategy for Higher Education makes a number of recommendations for system development, flexibility, efficiency and change aimed at supporting sustainable growth while protecting quality. Implementation of strategy recommendations is underway and a progress report is available on www.education.ie.