Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)

As I have said previously, I wish the Minister extremely well in his role. His Ministry is extremely important for the development of this country, particularly academic development. I echo the words of my colleague, Senator Laura Harmon, about the percentage of purpose-built accommodation for students in Cork. Can the Minister outline why there is such a percentage difference in purpose-built accommodation in Cork when compared with other major cities like Limerick and Dublin? Is it due to poor planning over a number of years or is it just a case of it being difficult to find suitable locations? I am interesting in learning why Cork has lagged behind in the amount of purpose-built accommodation for students.

Like Senator Kennelly, I want to focus on apprenticeships. It is extremely difficult now to employ a sparky, carpenter or plumber and previously it was much easier. When one rings an electrician, carpenter or plumber he or she will say it will be a couple of weeks before he or she can make a home visit. It is often the case that when one rings a plumber it is an emergency situation and his or her skills are needed immediately so one has people doing favours for different people. There is a serious problem with attracting more students who are coming out of post-primary education to apprenticeship-style education. This has had a number of effects. One of the biggest reasons for this situation is the amount of money that apprentices are paid. It is a fact that most of these students earn less than the minimum wage. I wholeheartedly agree with the Minister that an apprenticeship can only exist if an employer offers one. It is a balancing act. Does the new Department propose to introduce incentives for employers to create apprenticeships? I suggest that it should because without incentives, employers will not be as willing to take on an apprentice. We all know that an apprenticeship means further work for the employer in the form of training but this greatly benefits the community.

The next issue is travel. It is a fact that people are waiting ten, 11 or 12 months for a driving test, which is an issue for the Department. This issue has been raised at Cabinet level. Normally, when a person is offered an apprenticeship, he or she will have to travel. More than likely, he or she will have to travel by car. Dublin city has great transport links but a car is still a necessity everywhere else. We need to be able to ensure that people embarking upon an apprenticeship will have access to a car.

Before I was elected, I was a teacher in a poor enough socioeconomic area where third level or further education was not attractive so we must make that attractive. There is a lack of attractiveness because of the associated costs with third level or further education. I compliment the Government on significantly reducing costs but there are still underlying costs with, for example, the purchase of ICT equipment and the travel allowance. The SUSI grant covers some expenses but not enough.

Last, research and innovation plays an essential role. One of my best friends is studying in UCC for his PhD in chemical engineering, which is a significant department in the university. In fact, the students in that department travel across the world to represent Ireland on a research basis. These PhD students do very important work but the stipend paid to them is simply not enough because it costs anywhere between €600 and €800 just to rent a room in a house in Cork city and on top of that they have travel costs.