Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

A key part of our work is looking at labour market dynamics as reflected in the construction sector in how we profile capital allocations over the next five years. Housing is the number one priority as well as other critical growth-enabling infrastructure such as transport, water and energy in particular. Part of that work is done with the construction sector working group in my Department and the Department of further and higher education on how to attract more people to the sector directly, in the work of the Minister for higher education. That is priority as we grow the level of capital allocation by the Government; we have to expand the sector. Providing a pipeline of projects, as the Minister for Finance said, and bringing greater certainty to that gives a better signal around labour force retention and growth in the construction sector in particular. That is a key part of the overall discussion on capital expenditure and planning in the medium term, trade-offs in terms of labour market dynamics and how to prioritise particular projects in the context of a limited capital envelope, which there will be notwithstanding the ambition across government. That is a key part of our work and features in our engagement with ministerial colleagues around the choices we will have to make in the review of the national development plan and capital allocations that come from it.