Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. He has given a very honest assessment of the situation that exists. I should, of course, have mentioned the whole area of construction and retrofitting. When the one-stop shop gets up and running many people will see they will be able to carry out this work. I hope there will be low-cost loans. We will need extra workers in this regard. I accept we have a massive apprenticeship programme that will mean more trained people coming on line before too long. I accept the Minister of State and the Government appreciate the difficulty in this situation. It is very important for the economy that we get these workers. I look to progress in the future.

This year, the Government has provided a lot of money for mental health support. In my county one of the problems is that where, for example, seven consultants and special nurses are required, four of the positions can be filled but the other three positions cannot be filled because there is nobody to backfill the jobs of those who take them. This means the service cannot get up and running. This is another area in which we should be making every effort to try to get people into the sector. I appreciate the reply of the Minister of State.