Mr. Damien Owens:

Relatively few local authorities would have county engineers. It used to be a more prominent role in the past. As we build out infrastructure, building it is one thing but the next stage is maintaining it. A lot of that maintenance role will fall on the county councils. Engineering is a global profession. Irish engineers are going to work overseas. We have to compete to get that Irish talent to stay working on projects in Ireland. The only way to do that is to provide certainty. Certainty is a pipeline of investment so companies see the projects they can invest in and put resources into. Also, people, including schoolchildren, can see careers. The engineers we will need in 2040 are currently in primary school. We need to show them a career path.