Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Would the Minister agree then, because she seems to be hinting as much, that the acting Garda Commissioner might well consider making an application given that the Garda would obviously prefer to see its limited capital funds devoted in the first instance to areas with bigger crime problems? In asking the Minister whether she is entertaining the idea of an application for that late mid-20th century structure to which I referred, I also would like to know to what extent apprentices are employed in the conservation work projects. As the Minister will probably be aware, the Government has a dreadful record when it comes to the employment of apprentices. The building sector can barely recruit apprentices because of the Government's failure to adapt apprenticeships to modern building and construction arrangements. Will the Minister look specifically at the issue of providing for young people, many of whom are often left without any qualifications, particularly if they have left school early without a qualification and have worked in construction? In other countries, such conservation projects are widely used to train young people.

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