Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

FÁS is a contributing partner to this event and I take a different approach to this matter than the Deputy. I have been familiar with the Skill Olympics since my time in the Department of Education and Science and I know that the staff of the colleges do not have to partake in it. It is a labour of love for many of the personnel of our institutes of technology and we should celebrate and appreciate them because they drive the national effort at the Skill Olympics.

I do not know the exact details relating to the Deputy's question but I can explain the increase in personnel. However, I take a totally different approach. I will consult the organisers to see if particular issues arise and if the Deputy has a problem I would appreciate if he shared it with me. On a broader level, we should not undermine something that has been good for generations of apprentices in Ireland.

When some institutes of technology, including Cork Institute of Technology, CIT, and Dublin Institute of Technology, DIT, were drifting from apprenticeship training we made great efforts and were heartened by the fact that people in these institutions and elsewhere were prepared to fight the good fight, celebrate apprenticeship at the highest level and strive for world-class excellence. The only way this can be done is by participating in international competitions and my attitude to this matter is different from the Deputy's.

I will not take a niggardly approach, trying to pull the rug from under these people by suggesting there were many hangers-on there merely to have a good time. I know the exacting efforts the participants put into these competitions.

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