Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is constant. Everything possible is being done to speed it up. Representatives of many of the sectors have told us they cannot get workers. One issue with hospitality related to the income thresholds that existed for work permits. In the interim, we will have to examine that because hospitality has taken a significant hit as a result of Covid-19. We will need to come up with a medium-term plan for hospitality arising out of Covid-19, and that speaks to the issue of skills and talent. To be fair to the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and the Minister of State at his Department, Deputy Niall Collins, much work is being done in that regard to expand the field of apprenticeships and develop a range of skilled courses to get people trained up. As I said earlier, 2.5 million people are now in employment. When we produced the economic recovery plan more than a year ago, we thought it would take us until 2023 to get to that figure, yet we are almost there. There is an issue there.