Michael Mullins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree strongly with Senator Bradford. The most important inquiry that will take place in this country in this decade will be the banking inquiry. It is appropriate that both Houses of the Oireachtas would be considered to supply Members who would sit on that particular inquiry. As the Senator rightly said, the people of this country endorsed Seanad Éireann in a recent referendum. It is inappropriate that Members of this House would be left out of this inquiry. As Senator Paul Coghlan said, it will be difficult to get fine people who have not had very strong views on banking practices over the past decade in this country. That should not debar people who have spoken out strongly in the national interest and on behalf of the people. Everybody will sit on that inquiry in an independent manner and question, in an appropriate and inquisitive manner, the people who wrecked our country.

I also strongly support the call by Senator Clune for an urgent discussion of the report on apprenticeships published by the Minister for Education and Skills today. For far too many years we have had too narrow a focus on apprenticeships in this country. They were geared mainly towards the construction industry and a small element of manufacturing. It is appropriate that apprenticeships be widened out to include the catering, hospitality, retail and financial sectors, and indeed all sectors of the economy. The apprenticeships system can be a vehicle to tackle youth unemployment in a meaningful way. We have an appalling rate of youth unemployment at 28% or 29%, which is nearly 20% greater than that of Germany. This debate is timely and appropriate and it is to be hoped it will become part of Action Plan for Jobs and everything associated with that in the coming years.