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

I am not aware if such a request has been received but if it has, I would be more than happy to meet Mr. Devoy and discuss the concerns of the union. It would never be an intention to disincentivise people from engaging in the apprenticeship process and it will play a very large role in securing the economic future of our country. As the Deputy pointed out, the review has been under way and we will shortly publish the outcome of the review before extending the apprenticeship model into far wider areas than that to which it is currently associated. The supports available to people engaging in apprenticeships while they undertake the institute of technology phase are adequate at this time. As our country's economic recovery gets under way, we would be open to revisiting the decision at some point in future. As my colleague pointed out earlier, with the constraints imposed on us currently in terms of departmental expenditure, we have had to make some difficult decisions. This is one decision and perhaps we may be able to revisit it at a future time.

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