Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will be very brief. I do not want rehashing and I do not want the Minister to come back to me straight away. Clearly, having listened to all that has been said here today regarding the validity and integrity of the figures, the time has now come for the National Oversight and Audit Commission, NOAC, or some independent body to validate them. I call for independent, external validation of the figures of the Department and NOAC could have a role. I will leave that with the Minister.

I have two or three questions. With regard to having An Bord Pleanála move online, there is no progress. I spoke to those concerned today. There is a pilot scheme in place internally. The body is not in a position to do anything until the end of the year, possibly the last quarter at the very earliest. The officials rang me back to confirm that today. I put in a question to them this morning. That is the current position and it is not good enough. When talking about the planning and development legislation, I spoke to the Minister's predecessor specifically about this and was told everything would be included, but it did not happen. I predicted it would not. We had a long debate in the Seanad on the planning and development legislation at the time in question. Can we fast-track what I propose or bring it forward because it needs to be dealt with?

On SOLAS, skills, apprenticeships and training, we have been hearing the commentary in the national press this week that there will be major shortages and problems. Perhaps the Minister will address them. He might talk to his colleague the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Humphreys, about the possibilities. She signed an order this week for the agriculture and horticulture sector. I refer to a pilot scheme to let 800 people in from outside the European Union. We need to consider this again for the construction sector. The Minister might consider this.