Dáil debates

Tuesday, 29 November 2022

Ceisteanna - Questions

Departmental Strategies

5:05 pm

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I know, but we will do whatever we can there.

Deputy Cathal Crowe referred to jobs for Ukrainian refugees earlier. I did not have the chance to respond but I will take the matter up now. I do think we should move faster. In some cases, the qualifications authorities are working to accelerate people being enabled to work in certain professions.

The Deputy also referred to aircraft leasing and aircraft manufacturing. It is a huge endeavour. Airbus was a partnership between the UK, France and Germany. It was a massive project that took over 30 years. We could evolve our maintenance and manufacture component parts of aircraft because we have a lot of skills in that area in Ireland and we should build on that. By the way, most of these companies in the end will become technology companies just as the car industry will shift to a technology industry. We have lots of skill sets in that regard.

I agree 100% with Deputy Haughey on the need for objective advice from the Civil Service. I was concerned by suggestions that civil servants should be sacked because they had points of view on various issues. That suggestion was subsequently retracted and an apology issued, which I welcome. The Deputy's basic point is that democracy requires an impartial public service that gives its view. The view does not always have to be agreed, with but it is important.

To respond to Deputy Barry, the HSE has accepted that what happened was wrong and should not have happened. The maternity hospital should have been consulted on these issues. Great hurt has been done to the parents concerned.

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