Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. I assure her that the midlands regional transitional team will be central to the process the EU is now establishing whereby there will be a country team visiting Ireland.

I recognise that there will be issues about developing a retrofit and ensuring that there is a skill-fit. I am conscious also that Offaly has some very good training facilities in Mount Lucas where there is the capacity to do any necessary reskilling. I would certainly be sympathetic to trying to pilot something specifically in the midlands. As I have indicated in the climate plan, we need to find a way of scaling up the level of activity. Area-based schemes may be a good way to do that and it would dovetail with the particular needs that may arise.

I assure the Deputy that I and my staff, and the wider Government with the co-ordination role of the Department of the Taoiseach, is taking this very seriously. We recognise that to a significant extent this is a test of our capacity to manage difficult changes like this that are being thrown up by the climate challenge in a way that is fair to people and supports them to make the changes in their lives and to support a region that is particularly affected.

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