Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy is correct in pointing out that the Irish Hotels Federation has recently forwarded a report to my Department on job creation and training within the overall hospitality industry. It sets out the IHF's concerns over training and skills shortages in the hotel sector. It also sets out the key elements of the training needs in the hotel and guesthouse sector. The Minister, Deputy Quinn, has agreed to meet representatives of the IHF shortly to discuss the report further.

There seems to be a difference of opinion. Fáilte Ireland, which is responsible for the training needs of the industry, asserts that shortages are only occurring in certain pockets around the country and not nationally, whereas the IHF and the RAI seem to think quite the opposite. My door is always open to both those organisations and we will certainly work with them in partnership as best we can to address what they see as the skills shortages in that sector. We have worked with them in developing the Momentum programme, allowing people who are unemployed to gain access to a free, high quality course, which has been developed in partnership with the restaurant sector responding directly to its skills needs.

SOLAS will shortly be established and one of its obligations will be to prepare a national strategy in respect of further education and training that is relevant to individual learner needs, but also and equally important, relevant to the needs of the industry. That will involve a significant consultation process and I hope the IHF and the RAI will play a significant role in that process.

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