Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is a very broad question. To be fair to Deputy Durkan, he is asking me to look into a crystal ball. If I was looking into the crystal ball of the Minister, Deputy McGrath, on his way out today, he basically said that economic growth will continue on the trajectory it is on for the next couple of years. Our population will continue to grow and we will require a number of things. We will require a level of upskilling and migration - some people in this House and outside believe that is a bad thing. I believe it is a good thing. It makes the country far more diverse and makes us a more attractive place for people to come to. In doing that, higher education institutes along with ETBs and colleges will have to be prepared not only to provide courses for those already resident in the country but also for those who want to make Ireland their home. That will be a challenge. Workforce planning with the Minister, Deputy Burke's Department, through the likes of Enterprise Ireland and the IDA, is already under way. If there are specific areas which Deputy Durkan is worried about or specific sectors of the economy, he might give me the details and we can provide exact information with regard to what we are doing sector by sector.

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