Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I would like to return to some of the points I raised before asking another couple of questions. Would the Tánaiste consider establishing a climate and circular economy unit in his own Department? If the sectors do not drive change, it will not happen, and I can give an example.

Food waste is equivalent to million extra cars on the road and two thirds of plastic is not recyclable, which equates to the equivalent of another 500,000 cars on the road. Commercial users are the worst offenders in misplacing waste and putting it all into the equivalent of the black bin going for incineration or landfill. We need to get change embedded in sectors.

Offshore is an option where the State will award an option to the lowest bidder. Does that preclude, in any way, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland from supporting the sector in the traditional way they might? How will IDA Ireland and EI approach the opportunities in that sector?

I am still interested in the matter of apprenticeship and management development within the companies for which the Tánaiste is responsible. Enterprise Ireland produced a fantastic management development initiative and although tiny numbers go through it, it has transformed the internationalisation of some domestic businesses, which have become multinationals. We are missing an opportunity in not developing that more widely. If we want to shift away from the dominance that university education has had over the opportunities in practical apprenticeships - participants in which can go on to get a degree if they wish - we must see the big blue chip companies having substantial apprenticeship programmes.

It did not come as a surprise but in this day and age the fact that working right permits are tied to individual employers seems to be something from an earlier age. We must recognise that we need support from foreign workers here so should we not move away from the idea of being tied, effectively for five years, to one employer? It is not good for either worker rights or civil rights. Is it time to change that?