172 Mr. Belton asked the Minister for Education and Science the steps he will take to arrest the decline in the number of students studying science at second and third level and the increasing failure rates in these subjects. [22943/01]

I established the task force on the physical sciences at both second and third level in October 2000. The brief of the task force is to identify the issues contributing to the falling uptake of the physical sciences and to recommend additional measures to address these issues. The task force submitted its interim report to me in July 2001, and I expect to receive a final report early in the new year.

A number of institutes of technology have initiated a variety of schemes to encourage students to pursue third level science related courses. These initiatives include local advertising campaigns, career talks at second level schools, induction science days, taster summer school for fifth year students, tutorial support in specific science subject areas and a range of advisory services. Another interesting development is the physics website operated by the Department of Physics in Trinity College Dublin which aims to counter the negative image that physics has among schoolchildren.