Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Many people have been in touch with the Deputy, me and others in the last while about where to send curricula vitae, CVs, to get work. I hope that will continue and that people will be able to send their CVs to Irish Water and the firms that will win the regional contracts as part of this major investment. I cannot give the cost today for commercially sensitive reasons.

With regard to the subcontractors' panel, the normal rule of the Department of Finance for subcontractors is that they must have a turnover of €1 million. I reduced the figure to €400,000 to allow as many people as possible from the small and medium enterprises, SME, sector to be placed on the panel, but that does not stop others from going onto it between now and the end of the month. In fact, it is an indicative list. People can be put on it afterwards and considered by the regional contractors. People are waiting to know who are the winners of these contracts in order that they can apply for subcontract work. In every county there will be economic activity and people from the plumbing and the electrical industry will be involved in this work.

I am conscious of what the Deputy has said about ensuring we get the Department of Social Protection to compile lists of all the people who are in need of employment and have the necessary old skills from the construction days, when matters were going well, and to submit these names to the subcontractors. I am working with the Minister for Social Protection to ensure this happens.

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