Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

The attitude of the Minister and the Department is unnecessarily rigid in this case. It will not mess up the legislation but will provide comfort for citizens who have been earning their livelihoods in the State and paying their taxes. I have heard no convincing argument from the Government as to why this belt and braces cannot be included. None of us knows what the nature of a technical assessment might be in terms of the attitude people will have to certificates.

I support the Bill. However, we are trying to acknowledge that some people have acquired skills by virtue of their experience and practice and not through formal training. By definition such people will not be here in the next generation because we have provided for a good education system in the area of building construction, architecture, surveying and so forth. This is an attempt to lift standards in the Republic, while at the same time recognising citizens who, perhaps through no fault of theirs, were unable for economic and social reasons to get the type of education they would have wished to get. These people have asked Deputy O'Dowd and I to provide that comfort for them.

Including this reference does not undermine the integrity of the Bill or its application. As we upgrade and improve our standards, we should not allow a group of people who have worked honestly all their lives to find themselves and their identities threatened.

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