Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Chris Ruane (Labour). It was answered on Tuesday, 7 February 2006 on behalf of the Northern Ireland Grand Committee.

University Places

Question: Does my hon. Friend the Minister agree that the issue is not only the number of university places but their distribution throughout Northern Ireland? In response to my recent question asking for further education and higher education numbers for each ward in Northern Ireland, she replied that in HE, North Down had 70 per cent. of young people going to university, and Shankill and Crumlin had 2 per cent. For FE—the skills colleges—the numbers were 35 per cent. in North Down and 4 per cent. in Shankill and Crumlin. What measures will she take to ensure that the limited resources are targeted at the poorest people, to enable them to climb the ladder?

Answer: We can do a number of things in this regard. One is to look further back than HE and FE, and to consider the schools system. My hon. Friend raises an important point about the Shankill. When I look at the figures and see that only 5 per cent. of kids in the Shankill get the chance of a grammar school place, I see why inequalities feed through the system. One answer is to provide not a divisive 11-plus system, but an excellent education for all young people, and to consider the curriculum that we offer young people to give a mix of academic and vocational qualifications. Proposals with regard to the children's and young persons' package put forward by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State include extended schools and breakfast clubs—extending the school activity to ensure that every young person has a chance to maximise their potential and that we do not lose the skills and talents of the young people of Northern Ireland because of the background that they come from.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: NIGC c9-10
Session: 2005-06
Oral question type: Supplementary
Chamber / Committee: House of Commons Grand Committees
Subjects: Finance Northern Ireland Universities Student numbers Ulster University Queen's University Belfast