Mr. Dominic Doheny:

I wish to comment in the context of my work with Construction Industry Federation and with the chambers of commerce. Under the German model, apprenticeships are a very sought after career path. It is not only relevant to construction, it is also relevant to the health, medical and finance sectors. It is something Ireland does not really tap into at all. I would definitely promote this aspect.

I can make some personal comments on the issue of working remotely. I am the director of an innovation centre in Tullamore that is owned by Offaly County Council. The centre provides hot-desking facilities. It is very interesting to see the number of people taking up that facility who previously worked at home but who need the social interaction of other people, while wanting to mountain their solo working. We provide them with hot-desking, which is extremely successful. One of the offerings is fast broadband to serve their needs. Perhaps this is a way of rolling out broadband to the rural areas; bring it to innovation centres first before it is rolled out anywhere else. At least then people can come together collectively and work from those bases.

The Senator referred to rates. Commercial rates are a very topical issue in the area from which I come. We all know that councils must balance their books at the end of every year but if we lose our rate base in regional areas through major closures and so on, then the rates will be increased for those of us who are still around. It is up to the powers that be to make sure we continue to have a set of supports. The Senator referred to IDA Ireland and foreign direct investment in rural areas or the regions. That needs to be maintained and increased if we are to have sustainable business plans for those of us left in the regions.