Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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With regard to Deputy Calleary's question on visas, we will be looking at the number of rules that are involved and the time durations of labour market needs tests. We have simplified procedures and should be able to reduce significantly the time and complexity involved in granting visas. We have legislation coming through in this regard.

We will use the Presidency to highlight the opportunities in this sector and have scheduled it into our programme. It is difficult to give an exact figure for the number of jobs that will be filled in this sector by domestic and foreign workers. Currently, 15% of those employed in the technology area are non-Irish and little over half of that figure are non-EU nationals. Obviously, a higher proportion of new vacancies are being filled by non-Irish nationals than the existing threshold but we do not have an exact figure. With 1,200 non-EU nationals coming into this sector, one could make a stab at the percentage. We do not have an accurate number for the churn either, however.

Deputy Tóibín asked for the targets for this sector. For internationally traded services, we have a target of 30,000 additional net jobs. This would include financial services. I will check to see if there is a disaggregated target for ICT. I do not believe there is a specific figure which has been published but it would be regarded as a significant sectoral opportunity.

Deputy Tóibín makes a valid point about the broadband strategy. As he will be aware, the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Rabbitte, has published a broadband strategy which sets targets but it is clearly an important factor in accessing the opportunities.

Senator Clune made the point of the experience of employers. We have looked at some of the experience of employers who have come to our attention and sometimes they simply made the wrong application - they should have been applying for a green card but instead applied for a permit. We need to better inform people. Enterprise Ireland, EI, does have the same facility but perhaps there is not the same frequency of use of it and as a result maybe it is not running as smoothly. We would consider that there can be trusted partners in EI just as there are in IDA Ireland, and that we know that they are valid.

The FIT initiative, as I understand it, is probably not at level 8 plus where these high-level vacancies are, but it is an important programme which we recognise. It is probably not in the key skills shortage areas.

As to whether entrepreneurship be taught, I would say academics would write theses on that subject. Clearly, we want to promote it. Our reforms of the enterprise boards, integrating them into the Enterprise Ireland programmes for entrepreneurship and development, are part of our belief that we can grow more successfully and we need an indigenous engine of growth.

Manufacturing revival is very much on the cards. It must be core to our strategy. We will publish a strategy in that area within the next month or so.

Deputy Conaghan raised the issue about routine and non-routine and creative work. There are books written on this. Those who are in non-routine work and are creative are the big winners in terms of their earning capacity. There is a significant challenge, as the Deputy correctly stated, to create something unique out of whatever job one is in. The literature would state that those doing routine tasks, if they are creative, can make their position unique. I would not disagree with anything the Deputy said.

In response to Senator White, I outlined in my speech that we do a great deal in the area of promotion, including our SFI programmes, the discover science and technology programmes funded from my Department. The Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Quinn, will also recognise that the success of some of the conversion programmes has been in industry plugging in to the education sector. There have been collaborations, not only between Departments but between industry with institutes of education, which has been key to the success of those conversion programmes. Senator Cullinane also raised this issue of the job potential of this area.