Declan Breathnach (Louth, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I apologise for being late. I thank the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council, IFAC, for the information and advice it has given. I am one of the newer members of the committee and one of the newer Members of the Dáil. One issue that concerns me is that we are entering into a skills shortage right across the economy. Reference was made to building more than 30,000 houses but there are not enough plasterers or builders. Last week, 680 additional care packages were announced but we do not have the care staff. We experience that phenomenon all the time on the ground. We hear announcements to the effect that there will be new psychologists in the mental health area or new speech and language therapists in the education sector. There is a constant brain drain of teachers going to the United Arab Emirates, UAE, and other places to work. In the context of all the promises that are made to improve services, does the IFAC look at such shortages and how we can address them? We hear commitments on new services day in and day out. Perhaps that is not an area the IFAC examines but I would welcome a comment from the witnesses.

I am sure the witnesses have discussed Brexit and its implications. I come from a Border county. In the event of a cliff-edge Brexit, has an analysis been done on cross-Border trade and barriers to trade? Nobody wants to see customs and barriers to trade. Has the IFAC carried out any assessment in that regard? I do not know whether it is an area the IFAC has fully covered but I would welcome a comment.