Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I certainly welcome the level of investment. Recently I visited the Mayo College of Education Ballina campus where they are doing some really fantastic work. We also had the Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins, launch the new national outdoor education and training strategy at the Achill college. I congratulate Michael and all the team there. They have seen investment. Can the Minister tell me that this process is open to every ETB to apply for? In the context of hospitality, for instance, we are facing a major crisis of staffing within the sector. The Minister is probably too young to remember the fantastic work done by CERT - I am not, unfortunately. We need to go back to that kind of local, industry-based model. It strikes me that the FET colleges are ideally placed to do that for tourism and hospitality centres around the country. The Minister mentioned to Deputy Ó Murchú the five centres for deep energy retrofit working.

It strikes me as odd that one of them would not be located in Mayo, given the prospects for the county in terms of wind and offshore energy generation, which involves particular skills. I support the call by Deputy Conway-Walsh for the location of a centre in Ballyhaunis.

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