Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

On the other side of it, regarding the people coming into this country, as Deputy Boyd Barrett said, there is a chronic shortage of skilled workers. For example, in the mental health debate both in this House and on the national airwaves, the shortage of clinical psychologists and psychiatrists was raised. There is a problem attracting skilled workers into various sectors.

Has the Government the details of which sectors are affected by skills shortages? There is a whole raft of different issues in the construction industry. Some local authorities tell us their planning offices are short-staffed. Recently, an announcement was made by the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Heather Humphreys, on fast-tracking work permits. There are difficulties for people to get work permits validated. This process goes at a snail’s pace.

Our health service is running because of a significant number of people from outside the country working in it. While they are doing excellent work, there is a chronic shortage of workers in the health service. We are educating the finest people but they are leaving almost immediately after being educated. Young people are saying the cost of living in Dublin city is beyond them in terms of setting up a home, escalating rents and so forth. We need to ensure that the Government and the State knows where the skills shortages are.

There has been a nonsensical drive for development on the east coast. For the past couple of weeks, there were many debates about people leaving the western seaboard and the significant crisis on the eastern seaboard. Will the Minister of State accept that for young people to live and set up home in the capital city is now simply beyond them?

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