P J Sheehan (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 58: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the amount of money and resources his Department has spent on sending 85 people to Japan and China to participate in the Skills Olympics; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31285/07]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I understand that WorldSkills Council Ireland manages the selection, training and participation of Ireland's team for the WorldSkills competition. The council is chaired by the Department of Education and Science and is representative of the various partners in vocational education and training, including the Department of Education and Science, FÁS, the institutes of technology, the Dublin Institute of Technology, Fáilte Ireland and the Irish Vocational Education Association.

Ireland's participation in this competition, involving almost 50 countries with 824 participants in 47 skills areas, is essential to benchmark our strong craft and technical vocational education training against the technological advances in training in other countries. The WorldSkills competition was established with the aim of achieving world-class standards and competencies in commerce, services and industry. Ireland first competed in 1957 and hosted the competition in Dublin in 1963 and in Cork in 1979.

Ireland has an excellent record in this competition and finished third overall in 1999. In 2005 the Irish team finished seventh in the world with three gold medals, one silver, one bronze and nine medallions of excellence. In Japan 2007, the Irish team achieved one gold medal, four bronze medals and ten medallions of excellence and finished 13th of 47 participating counties.

The results achieved in the WorldSkills competition signal to multinational companies wishing to invest in Ireland that its young people have a wide range of skills, knowledge and competencies to support technically advanced industries and service providers.

In the context of a global economy and Ireland's economic success over the past decade, there has been a very significant increase in the number of young people engaged in apprenticeship training and education. This is reflected in the increase in competitors from skills areas by over 50% from the 2001 competition.

This year Ireland sent 85 people to the competition, including 54 competitors, judges and team leaders, and 31 others, including logistical and support staff. Some 37 of the 85 team members were FÁS apprentices, experts, technical staff or WorldSkills Council Ireland members.

The increased numbers from the previous competition are directly attributable to the inclusion in the competition of four additional skills areas, a change in competition rules requiring an additional team leader and an additional six technical supports for all skills areas due to the dispersed nature of the competition site in ten different buildings.

Participating organisations in the competition contribute pro rata to the cost in accordance with the numbers from each organisation. I understand that it is expected that FÁS will contribute around €480,000 towards the cost of preparing and sending the Irish team to participate in the WorldSkills competition in Japan in November 2007. This includes the cost of pre-departure training, the payment of FÁS training allowances during the pre-departure and competition periods, materials and equipment for use in the competition and the travel, accommodation and subsistence costs of the FÁS participants, other than the apprentices.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I asked this question because of the concerns expressed by the organisers at the extremely high number of people sent from Ireland to this event. It seems extraordinary that we are spending half a million euro of taxpayers' money to send 85 people to this event. Only 54 of these people are participants and not all of that group are actually competitors. Does the Minister feel that the amount being spent is justifiable and did he seek a cost estimate beforehand? With previous WorldSkills competitions in mind, can the Minister explain the huge change in the ratio of participants to hangers-on? In Helsinki the numbers were 43 and 22, respectively, a ratio of 2:1 and in St. Gallen the numbers were 42 and 16, respectively, a ratio of 3:1. This time the ratio is 1:1.5. Why has there been an explosion on this occasion and why are we so big in Japan?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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FÁS is a contributing partner to this event and I take a different approach to this matter than the Deputy. I have been familiar with the Skill Olympics since my time in the Department of Education and Science and I know that the staff of the colleges do not have to partake in it. It is a labour of love for many of the personnel of our institutes of technology and we should celebrate and appreciate them because they drive the national effort at the Skill Olympics.

I do not know the exact details relating to the Deputy's question but I can explain the increase in personnel. However, I take a totally different approach. I will consult the organisers to see if particular issues arise and if the Deputy has a problem I would appreciate if he shared it with me. On a broader level, we should not undermine something that has been good for generations of apprentices in Ireland.

When some institutes of technology, including Cork Institute of Technology, CIT, and Dublin Institute of Technology, DIT, were drifting from apprenticeship training we made great efforts and were heartened by the fact that people in these institutions and elsewhere were prepared to fight the good fight, celebrate apprenticeship at the highest level and strive for world-class excellence. The only way this can be done is by participating in international competitions and my attitude to this matter is different from the Deputy's.

I will not take a niggardly approach, trying to pull the rug from under these people by suggesting there were many hangers-on there merely to have a good time. I know the exacting efforts the participants put into these competitions.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Why was the proportion of hangers-on so much higher on this occasion?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Activity levels increased on this occasion.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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There was increased activity among hangers-on, not participants.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I do not know who are the hangers-on to whom the Deputy refers.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The Minister should find out if he is going to spend half a million euro of our money on them.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy put the question and is labelling these people hangers-on; I am not describing anyone as a hanger-on.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The Minister described these people as non-participants.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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We are in the business of trying to inform and question and I suggest the Deputy should talk to the people who organised our participation in this event. He can come back to me if his perspective on this matter has not changed.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I will, but so should the Minister before he spends half a million euro of taxpayers' money.