Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

That is probably the most significant development and it has been widely welcomed by the industry. Given that he is raising issues around qualifications for those coming into the industry, the Deputy will be aware that SOLAS and the Department of Education and Skills have agreed with the haulage industry to develop traineeships for new and young people coming into the industry to qualify for HGVs and employment and self-employment. The Minister for Education and Skills indicated that in some detail at the launch of the Apprenticeship Council which has an agreement not only to relaunch traditional apprenticeships but to extend apprenticeships into new areas. Those new areas include the haulage industry. I had conversations with the Minister about that. One of the forms of employment that is most attractive to unemployed people is as a licenced haulier. My Department and the Department of Education and Skills have been co-operating on that. The Deputy may have seen that in the budget an extra €10.5 million was allocated to apprenticeship education which will mean that the overall number of apprentices will increase to 6,000.

In relation to the specific issues the Deputy raises, I will certainly raise them with the Department and revert to him.

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