asked the Minister for Education if the Central Applications Office has been consulted regarding the question of supplying leaving certificate results to third level colleges in the United Kingdom in view of the dramatically increased number of Irish students applying for these places.

Following discussions on this matter between the Central Applications Office and my Department, the CAO intends to supply leaving certificate results in computer readable form to the third-level admissions offices in the United Kingdom.

I intended including Northern Ireland which has a particular attraction to the people in the constituency which I represent. Northern Ireland is a lot more accessible than perhaps the colleges in Dublin, for instance. It is easier to find places there and they have the attraction that young people could come home at the weekend. Also, the meeting of young people from the North and the South is very important. Has the Minister included the colleges in the North?

There has been correspondence and discussion between the Central Applications Office and my Department with regard to the question the Deputy raised relating to the Northern Ireland colleges. The matter the Deputy raised will be facilitated.

I welcome that. It is very important that the Minister include the Northern Ireland colleges for the reason I have mentioned.

Does the Minister see the agreement between the Department and the CEO as a purely short-term measure and do the Department intend getting their own computer to computerise these results? What are the Minister's feelings about the disturbing increase in the number of second level pupils who have applied to the UK and other areas for third level education? What repercussions will this have on our educational process and on our economy in future because the danger is that when these people finish their third level education abroad they will remain there and contribute to other economies rather than ours?

Deputy Boylan's question makes reference to the Central Applications Office; therefore, I do not propose to answer the second part of the Deputy's supplementary. With regard to the first part, the Department are putting in train steps to put a computerisation process in place.

Question No. 3.

What about the big increase in the number of people who will leave if they get places abroad?

That is not part of the question.