Dr. Ian Jones:

That is a good question, and I do not have the answer for the Deputy. The skills document published by the expert skills group in June or July referenced particular skills gaps. It did not mention numbers, but I can give Deputy Tóibín a broad overview if it would be helpful. The basic feedback we have from the industry shows that in the pharmaceutical and medical technology sectors in particular there are still skills gaps at operator level all the way through to specific technical roles, such as validation engineers, commissioning engineers and technology specialists. From an analytical perspective in the laboratory, there are also many gaps. We see opportunities to match these to unemployed people. If people do not have a third level qualification, their first would be at operator level. If people come to us with a degree in environmental science or another science qualification, they transition into laboratory roles. The validation-engineer-type roles which are cited as being a gap are rarely entry-level positions. People usually migrate there having previously worked as operators or laboratory analysts.