Donie Cassidy (Fianna Fail)

He was a Member of this House and had to go through hard times to be a Member. Most of us here have no idea what it is like to fight for our democracy, not alone to fight for our economy, which is what we are doing at present. We owe the survival of our economy for the next ten or 20 years to the next generation because the generations past have given us a lifestyle and an earning ability of which we never dreamed.

Senator Hannigan was the first of many Senators to raise concerns about the construction industry. I share the views of Senators on these concerns. FÁS has an onerous task in upskilling 60% of our people up to 2020. I acknowledge the expertise and high standing of Mr. Wills, chairperson of the group responsible for the report published yesterday. If FÁS or the Government thinks it can expect employers to put up 25% of the retraining programme, it is not going to happen. In Mullingar, 16 people wanted to retrain and put their names into the institute but when the institute contacted the employers to provide 25% — FÁS was providing 75% — not one of the employers could afford to provide it. I recall that billions are available to retrain and upskill our people. If that is the case, it must be, because times right across the world——