Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the Minister of State that we want to see a growth in craft apprenticeships. That is what we are both looking for. Previously when this was discussed, one of the big things that was said about the apprenticeship system is that it is employer led. One of the biggest employers in the State is the public service. Sometimes, people would be forgiven for thinking only the private sector can employ people when we discuss this. However, the biggest employer in the State is the State itself. Let us take the local authorities as an example. Until the 1980s, local authorities built public housing with direct labour and created good apprenticeship opportunities for plumbers, carpenters, bricklayers, electricians and so on. Does the Minister of State know how many apprentices they have at this moment? It is not a trick question. The reality is that data is not collected centrally.

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