Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)

I wish to share time with the Minister of State, Deputy Mansergh, Deputies Conlon, Collins, Michael McGrath, White and the Minister, Deputy Ó Cúiv.

It is clear that two of the key pillars that will underpin our future economic growth are a recovery in our competitiveness and the skills base of our labour force. Given that the issue of competitiveness is broad ranging, we are adopting a consistent approach across Government. Issues associated with prices, education, the labour force and infrastructure are but a few of those fundamental to determining Ireland's competitive position. The Government is proactively implementing policies that will see our competitive edge sharpen progressively.

Price levels have fallen in Ireland by 2.6% in the past 12 months while prices in the European Union rose by 1.4% on average. The European Commission expects Ireland to continue making gains in price competitiveness in the coming two years. We are continuing to invest substantially in capital infrastructure. The 2010 budget included a commitment of Exchequer capital investment of more than €39 billion for the period 2010 to 2016. At 5% of GNP, the 2010 allocation of €6.4 billion is proportionately very high by comparison with levels of capital investment across the Union.

As Minister of State responsible for lifelong learning, I am particularly aware of the importance of investing in the continued development of the skills and competencies of our workforce. This investment will provide Ireland with a competitive advantage in the area of skills and allow it to continue to attract and support companies from the ICT and green sectors. These sectors will be the key drivers of economic and employment growth.

By investing in developing the skills of the unemployed, we will be assisting them in obtaining employment as quickly as possible. We will be improving the skill levels of the entire workforce, which will stand to us in future years. The Government is, therefore, attaching the greatest priority to assisting and supporting those who find themselves unemployed.

Since the international economic crisis began, the Government has introduced a wide range of measures designed to provide increased and enhanced learning opportunities for the unemployed. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment is investing more than €1 billion this year in initiatives designed to support those in vulnerable employment and the unemployed. As a consequence of this substantial investment, the Government has expanded substantially the job search and guidance supports provided by FÁS employment services. The FÁS training and work experience provision has more than doubled since 2008 and can now cater for 147,000 unemployed people in a full year.

From an education perspective, we have witnessed a significant expansion in the number of places that have been provided in recent years. This year alone will see 166,000 learners participate in a further education course. These courses are an integral part of the country's provision for the unemployed and include the 6,000 places on the Youthreach programme, which is aimed specifically at upskilling early school leavers. The number of full-time enrolments in higher education is expected to be more than 140,000 for this academic year, representing an increase of 6,000 over the last academic year.

In addition to this mainstream provision, a number of innovative initiatives were taken by the higher education sector to support unemployed people in returning to education. These initiatives are assisting almost 3,000 people in participating in short courses or undergraduate or postgraduate programmes in the universities and institutes of technology.

I have outlined what has been done in terms of lifelong learning and described the provision for further education and training in the context of our current unemployment circumstances. I have highlighted the need to upskill and reskill our workforce and I have outlined what needs to be done, particularly through upskilling, for those who are unemployed or at risk of unemployment. The substantial increase in the State's education and training provision for the unemployed at a time of severe constraints on the public finances reflects the Government's firm commitment to assisting the unemployed. I assure the House that this commitment will remain until Ireland is well on the way to economic recovery.

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