Shane Curley (Fianna Fail)

Go raibh maith agat an tAire as ucht bheith anseo. Every time I have liaised with the Minister, the Department or his staff, I have been heartened by how committed they are to the apprenticeship model, which is vital if we want to deliver housing and other vital infrastructure in a timely fashion. If we want a future-ready workforce, we need a future-ready education system. I have been speaking with the TUI, whose nomination to the Seanad I am thankful for. It is dealing with critical backlogs in the apprenticeship model, particularly in phases four and six, which are dealt with by the TUs, which the TUI represents. One very cost-effective recommendation the TUI has made is that, if a third phase of apprentices was brought in during phases four and six, it would clear the backlog in one go. It would not require any permanent commitment to funding from current spending for staff. It would not require any extra hiring. It would be a simple one-off, extra overtime payment to tutors who deliver these phases in order to clear the backlog. If we are serious about delivering housing and other infrastructure we need in this country, it is something we need to address in a critical fashion.