Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy mentioned the fact we have a budget surplus, and we do. We also have the biggest budget for housing in the history of the State. If it was a matter of money and budgets, this problem would have been solved a long time ago. There are many other constraints and she rightly pointed out that one of the constraints is the availability of labour and construction staff to do all the work and building we need to do, not just houses, but schools, metros, wind energy and so on.

The Bill the Labour Party has tabled is a positive contribution to this debate. We have asked the Low Pay Commission to examine this and will propose a timed amendment to the Bill to allow proper consideration of the matter by that commission. There is merit in what the Labour Party is putting forward: that paying apprentices better might mean we have more apprentices, which in time will allow us to build our construction capacity. I welcome the party's suggestions in that regard.

See this speech in context