James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Deputy. We have had a few variations of this discussion over the evening. That is to be expected because there were impacts in different areas in different ways. There has actually been no funding cut to the apprenticeship system in 2025. In fact, investment through the Revised Estimates has increased by €41 million by comparison with the figure for last year. Instead of a funding cut, there has been a funding increase for the system from my Department.

The Government has demonstrated a strong and sustained commitment. Since the formation of my Department, investment in apprenticeship training has increased by 84% from €184 million in 2020 to €339 million in 2025. There was an additional €77 million in the last budget, putting apprenticeships on a scale they were never on before in terms of supports, including practical supports, and the scope and number of courses that can be accessed.

It is the responsibility of SOLAS to work with the individual ETBs to plan their provision within the funding allocation made available by central government. There are complexities. It is a demand-led system but with a finite funding envelope. Funding is allocated on an Estimates basis each year but there is a demand curve. It can be difficult for these to align. It is up to SOLAS to manage this with the ETBs. It has a quite generous budget of over €1 billion and it allocates to the ETBs depending on demand in each area. It is tasked with managing and predicting demand and working with the ETBs to plan in this regard.

Bearing in mind Louth and Meath Education and Training Board, LMETB, which I know is important to the Deputy, issues have been identified with SOLAS at national level. I spoke about these in response to a different question. My Department is working with SOLAS to progress solutions to these by way of supplementary funding. That is going well. There is a need for some further intervention. I am to meet the board of SOLAS on Thursday and I have instructed that no apprenticeships are to be cancelled, but I am confident we will have a resolution quite soon.

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