Ms Mary Nash:

We completely overhauled the system of training in 2019. The system we now have has no comparison with what was going on before 2019. Every film of any large scale has to go to Screen Ireland with a training plan which will be scrutinised by the training division in Screen Ireland. It may come back and say, for example, they do not want any more hairdressers, but they do want production accountants or prop makers. Therefore, the training that is delivered is what the industry needs and what the participant workers need. In fact, our training is now so good that we are being told that all the other countries in the EU are commenting on how we have linked the training for the section to tax relief. They are asking us how we did that. We are now being held up as the exemplar for training.

I am using the word “training”, but I actually refer to upskilling, because it is lifelong learning. As I said in my opening statement, this is from new entrants all the way up to people who may already be good directors. They might shadow an international director such as Ridley Scott, if he comes here. The training is therefore very good. I can give the committee some examples of this in the study I referred to earlier. Part of it surveyed some of the crew. One survey had 413 respondents, 86% of whom said they had positive experiences where, during work, they received extra training or increased their skills. Therefore, we and Screen Ireland are quite proud of how we have changed training for section 481. Does that answer the question?