John Bruton
Ceist:348 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Education the way in which the participation rate of students from manual worker backgrounds in third level education in this State compares with the 30.6 per cent rate in Northern Ireland.
Written Answers. - Third Level Student Statistics.
In view of variations in the assignment of certain occupations for the purpose of classification in socio-economic groups, a direct comparison between the participation rate of students classified as being from manual backgrounds in this State and in Northern Ireland would be misleading.
The latest information available to my Department on the socio-economic status of new entrants to higher education is contained in the report Who Goes to College? by Dr. Patrick Clancy which was published by the Higher Education Authority in 1988. In this regard I would refer the Deputy to my reply to Question No. 253 of 12 December 1989.