asked the Minister for Education if he will indicate in respect of the last five years the total number of students who have become barristers-at-law; and of these, if he will indicate, as far as possible, (a) the number of non-nationals and (b) the number whose parents are in the lower income group.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Law Students.
27.
In the five years, 1967-1971 the BL was conferred on a total of 194 students, 17 of whom were non-nationals. There is no information available to indicate the number of students, on whom the BL was conferred, whose parents are in the lower income group.
The reply indicates that 17 of the students were non-nationals. Would it be correct to say that in respect of students whose parents are in the lower income group, the Minister has no information because there were not any?
Seeing that I have no information, I cannot say whether there were or not.
Would the Minister agree that in a situation in which we introduce legislation, the majority of the people on whose behalf we introduce it seem to have no standing at all in the matter of how it is interpreted elsewhere, and that the Department of Education should be giving attention to this matter?
Was this question intended to be a reflection on non-nationals attending this course? I would hope that more and more of them will come to avail of the facilities we have here.
I am talking about the lower income group in whom the Deputy should be interested.