Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

The Deputy is right to highlight this issue. In every report, in particular in the housing report, the need for more apprentices is very apparent. I would just make the point that we are making good progress in the number of new apprentices and in the number of programmes in which apprenticeships are available. We need to make it continually attractive for people to be an apprentice. The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy James Lawless, is looking at ways we can do that. Going from memory from my time in that Department, we do have a cost of education paper that comes out each year. I understand that apprenticeships are considered as part of that. Let me ask the Minister, Deputy Lawless, to look specifically at the issues and I will come back to the Deputy.

See this speech in context