Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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It is still a significant amount of money. I do not think the imposition of the extra charge on apprentices will act as a major disincentive to them in either accessing the apprenticeship system or completing their apprenticeships. Deputies must bear in mind that the charge is €833, of which apprentices were already paying 30% and had been for many years. The fee was predominantly related to the cost of examinations within the institutes of technology. Furthermore, apprentices, unlike others attending institutes of technology, are receiving a wage which ranges from €293 to €647 a week during the entire apprenticeship period, including the time they are in the institutes. That compares very favourably to a typical maintenance payment to a normal student of €31 a week. While I acknowledge that in a very difficult budgetary time for all of us we would prefer not to have to do this, when one looks at the overall picture, I do not believe this will act as a disincentive to becoming involved in the apprenticeship process or completing apprenticeships.