Despite the introduction of free fees and all the claims that this would remove the "psychological barrier" for disadvantaged students to third level, there is no evidence of a sudden rush from the poorer parts of our country into our third-level institutions.

There are a number of very successful community-based programmes in operation for a number of years which seek to provide targeted places at third-level institutions for those for whom third level could otherwise be but a dream.

These include the Ballymun Initiative for Third-level Education (BITE), a project linking DCU with the neighbouring community of Ballymun; the Limerick Community Based Educational Initiative (LCBEI), operating in the more disadvantaged areas of Limerick; and the Trinity Access Project (TAP), linking TCD with schools in Dublin's inner city. The recently launched New ERA programme at UCD also deserves praise, with its long-term goal of providing 70 disadvantaged access places.

But, for all these fantastic initiatives, there still appears to be little move at national level to make third-level education more accessible. The White Paper on Education states, on page 100, that the Higher Education Authority must seek to ensure a means "of achieving an annual increase in participation of 500 students from lower socio-economic groups in third-level education over the next five years."

Half way through that five-year process, it would be interesting if the HEA were to publish a progress report on that area.

Partnership 2000 states, in paragraph 4.30, that "over the course of the Partnership, priority will be given to a strategy to enable non-standard applicants, particularly disadvantaged and mature students, to participate in third-level education, in particular by encouraging third-level institutions to develop initiatives similar to the NCIR."

What evidence is there of a national strategy to deal with this "priority"? Speaking to UCD students in November 1996, Bertie Ahern stated that it was "simply not good enough" that a programme similar to Breaking the Cycle was not in place at third level. When in Government, he said, Fianna Fail "will pump the necessary resources into this area of disadvantage, and integrate those young citizens into the body educational, as well as the body politic."

Many college communities, staff and students alike, are trying to open their gates to those previously excluded. Government policy is the key to ensuring this happens in a co-ordinated way at national level. At present, that policy, as Bertie Ahern himself would say, is "simply not good enough." Given last Wednesday's budget, one begins to wonder does it exist at all ?

Education officer of the Union of Students in Ireland