I am very conscious of the importance of science graduates to the future development of the Irish economy and of the need to ensure that supply increases to meet the needs of society at large. To assist in this objective, my Department has introduced a number of initiatives to satisfy the requirements of the relevant industry sectors in the coming years. These include establishing the expert group on future skills needs, the skills awareness group, and the science technology and awareness programme, all of which are administered by Forfás on behalf of my Department. The aim of these initiatives is to assess future skills requirements, to inform students of the opportunities for and benefits of a career in the science field and to notify them of the third level choices available to them.