Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

That is welcome information. At a committee meeting during the summer, I believe the Minister told my colleague, Senator Sherlock, that the review was under way. The figures are stark. I am looking at the October 2022 national skills bulletin from SOLAS, which identified a particular need for plumbers, carpenters, welders, computer numerical control, CNC, programmers, and electricians. These trades are not on the critical skills list. Will the Minister confirm that some of them will be included on the list consequent to the review? I assume that discussions have taken place with the relevant trade unions. That would be important.

The number of permits in the construction sector has been increasing in recent years. Most of the areas currently subject to critical skills permits are on the professional side - for example, architects and engineers - but there is an obvious need for skilled crafts people. I hope that we will see the Minister’s acknowledgement of this in the review’s output.

See this speech in context