Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Picking up where Deputy McLoughlin left off on apprenticeship, it is a vitally important area. The Minister of State outlined some of the work she is doing on it but, with the greatest respect, we have a serious crisis. I do not doubt the sincerity of the Minister of State in trying to tackle the problem but unfortunately, as Deputy McLoughlin outlined, the problem is very stark and it is staring us in the face. We have a serious housing crisis and getting the necessary qualified people to build those houses is a serious problem. They are not there at the moment. I spoke to a small builder at the weekend who told me it is impossible to get young people to come into trades like block laying, plastering or electricians. They can walk into any job and get the same amount of money, let it be in a supermarket or wherever. They are not going to pull on a pair of boots and go onto a building site when they can get the same money a lot easier elsewhere. We need to incentivise employers to take on apprentices. We need to pay them properly. At the moment it is simply not happening.

I will move on to the issue of clarity for families that are thinking about sending their children to colleges in the North of Ireland. The Minister and I, being from Donegal, understand, and Deputy McLoughlin also outlined, that for students along the Border, going to a college in the North is nearly the first option. There are currently about 2,000 students from the Republic attending colleges in the North. It is our first port of call. There is uncertainty out there. I have no doubt that the Government is attempting to bring clarity to a very difficult situation. People are planning a long time in advance, so it is important that we get clarity for them as soon as possible.

Much focus and attention has rightly been brought to the difficulties that Brexit will bring. On the potential opportunities that may exist for us as an English-speaking country, based on the Minister's own perspective and the work he has done so far, how optimistic would he be that there are opportunities for us? Has he homed in on what they are and where they exist? What kind of progress are we making in that respect?