Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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1388. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of places in third level institutions; and the number of these places reserved for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. [34065/14]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The Higher Education Authority's Key Facts and Figures report records 41,413 full-time undergraduate, new entrants, to 28 higher education institutions in 2012/13.

Seventeen institutions allocate reserved places to students from disadvantaged backgrounds through the HEAR (Higher Education Access Route) scheme. Since 2010 this scheme has operated on a national basis, as part of the annual CAO process. In 2012/13 2,012 full-time undergraduate students, from disadvantaged backgrounds, entered participating higher education institutions through the HEAR scheme.

In addition, in 2012/13, there were also local schemes in a number of Institutes of Technology (CIT, WIT, Sligo, Tralee, Tallaght, Carlow, Galway) which supported the allocation of approximately 370 places to school-leavers from disadvantaged backgrounds.