asked the Minister for Education if he will consider having biology included in the science grouping to qualify for university grants.
Written Answers. - Eligibility for University Grants.
173.
The designated subjects included under the attainment provisions of the higher education grants scheme, where the two honours requirement applies, were introduced to counteract the problem of low numbers studying the subjects and to encourage schools to provide, and pupils to follow, courses in the subjects at leaving certificate level.
It is considered essential to increase the number of pupils studying the designated subjects at second level because of the need for additional graduate output from scientific and technological courses at third level educational institutions. The number of schools providing, and pupils studying, biology is considered to be satisfactory. It is not deemed necessary, therefore, to include biology in the designated subjects for purposes of the higher education grants scheme.