Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. I welcome that information. We need to see this happen quicker and better. It is as simple as that. Some of the difficulty with the backlog and filling the spaces is that some of these qualified tradespeople can earn more on site than in the classroom. In its alternative budget, Sinn Féin set out €4.4 million in financial supports to incentivise those currently working on sites to undertake the necessary classroom teaching. What has the Minister of State considered to ensure we can get the number up to 134 or more, if required, to make sure we can deliver with regard to the backlog and, beyond that, to ensure we can deliver the stream of apprentices that we absolutely require, particularly across the construction sector? I do not have to point out to anyone here the absolute necessity of ensuring we have the ability to deliver on whatever targets are set by the Government and whoever is in government next.

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