148 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Education the initiatives, if any, she has to increase the participation of students from inner city Dublin in third-level education. [2485/96]

The free fees initiative and the third-level student support schemes facilitate students with limited means who wish to progress to third-level. It is recognised, however, that ensuring greater access to third-level by students from disadvantaged backgrounds is not solely a matter of costs at third-level. Fuller participation in third-level depends on ensuring retention of students in full-time education up the age of 18. To achieve this I have taken a range of initiatives. These include: targeting of resources at first and second-level on disadvantaged areas; the provision of educational support services for first and second-level students including psychological and guidance services, career guidance and remedial teachers; the continuing development of the home-school links programme; a major re-structuring of the senior cycle curricula to adapt them to the needs of the wider spread of ability levels and backgrounds proceeding to senior cycle; and the introduction of alternative pathways for students to progress to post-second-level education and training.

I have also supported the development of links between disadvantaged schools and third-level institutions. These links include initiatives involving Trinity College and Dublin City University and a number of disadvantaged schools in Dublin. These links are in line with the commitment in the White Paper which indicates that, "Each third-level institution will be encouraged to develop links with designated second-level schools, building on existing good practice".