Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)

I am grateful to the Minister of State for his response. While I had originally intended that the matter would be addressed by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Bruton, I understand the reason it is being addressed by a Minister from the Department of Education and Skills as it is related to education. I welcome the various initiatives to which the Minister of State referred. I do not propose to be churlish about them because they are positive and good but they are aimed at the next generation rather than the current generation.

I am pleased the Minister of State also chose to address the specific issue I raised. My argument in this regard is that a proactive approach is needed to enable some of those on the live register to acquire linguistic skills that will allow them to take up opportunities presented by multinational companies. I hope the Department, in liaison with the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, will provide opportunities to upskill to unemployed people who have an employment history that could fit in neatly with companies such as PayPal. I expect this important issue will be the subject of interdepartmental discussions. I ask the Minister of State to introduce in any such discussions the idea of recruiting Irish people who may be attracted to return from abroad. Many of these individuals left Ireland because they could not find work and have acquired language skills. I am grateful for the manner in which the Minister of State addressed the issue and appreciate that he understands its urgency.