James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. A review is ongoing across the whole sector. There are many different types of apprenticeships now. There are the craft apprenticeships, which are related to construction skills, there are climate skills and apprenticeships for accounting technician and digital marketing - and my Department has a number of staff working in that apprenticeship - so it is very much a broader and more diverse sector and spectrum that might traditionally have been the case. They all play important roles. With regard to suggestions, I invite the Deputy to put forward suggestions. I am all ears. I am a new Minister. I am here to work with colleagues around the House so if the Deputy has any suggestions for improvement, I am open to hearing them. I look forward to that debate, and from all colleagues in the House going forward.

See this speech in context