Pearse Doherty (Sinn Fein)

On a separate matter, we all know that to have a strong economy we need a skilled workforce. Unfortunately, we have a downturn in the construction industry which has been highlighted. What is happening now is that those who are losing their jobs in that industry, who wish to go back to reskilling and avail of the back to education allowance, cannot do so because they must be unemployed for six months to qualify for that grant. I ask the Leader, in the light of the considerable job losses in low-skilled industries, particularly manufacturing and the construction industry, to invite the Minister for Education and Science to the House to deal with this loophole and permit those who wish to reskill to be able to avail of the back to education allowance.