Ms Désirée Finnegan:

On the growth of the sector, there is no question that the pandemic has hit every aspect of the industry. The demand for content has been clear throughout the pandemic, however. The growth in direct-to-consumer services that we have seen across the world also speaks to the appetite of consumers. Animation is a great area to speak about because the animation sector has a world-class reputation. It is multi-award-winning and it is watched by millions of children around the world. The industry has adapted incredibly well to the pandemic and has continued. Whether it is "Wolfwalkers", which is No. 1 in the box office in cinemas, or "Two by Two", which was No. 1 in the UK and Ireland, there has been growth in animation. One of the measures we put in place last week was a new fund, which comprised additional funding from the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin. It was €1 million to help support the industry in two ways. One of those approaches is an innovation fund, which looks at how we can help scale and innovate in animation to build on the growth it has achieved. The animation industry has approximately 2,000 direct employees in 35 studios. We wanted to help the industry in that respect and with the skills deficit the Senator mentioned. We will launch an animation academy to specifically address some of those issues. The growth is so fast that we must ensure we have enough people to meet that skills need. I will defer to Mr. Lee on the skills area.