Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the initiatives being taken by him to combat a drop of 17% in postgraduate registrations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51944/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I understand the figures the Deputy is referring to were contained in an ESRI report commissioned by the HEA and issued last Friday.

It is important to note that postgraduate enrolments have increased significantly in recent years. According to data from the Higher Education Authority, there were nearly 35,000 postgraduate enrolments in 2011/2012 academic year, representing an 7.5% increase since 2008/2009. There are now more opportunities than ever before for postgraduate study, including an increasing number of flexible learning opportunities. Funding for postgraduate research has also been protected in as far as possible. The projected increase in undergraduate provision nationally would also seem to indicate that there will be a continuing strong demand for postgraduate provision in the future. However, I am asking the Higher Education Authority to monitor enrolment patterns in the coming years and to keep me informed.