Gareth Scahill (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister once again to the Chamber. Like the previous speaker, I will not spend my time clapping him on the back but nor will I kick him. If he is a success in his Ministry, we will all benefit. That is how we must look at it. Budget 2026 shows that he listened to what people were saying and he delivered where he could deliver. As Senator Dee Ryan said, he put a mechanism in place in respect of student fees that will enable sustainable delivery. I hope he will answer what other speakers asked about giving a clear path as to where that will go.

As I said, the Minister listened. I welcome the funding for medicine and nursing education, which will deliver 1,100 additional places, or an increase of 25%. That increase is much-needed in our economy at the moment. I noted the provision for 20 additional dentistry places this year. I especially welcome that because it was one of the first issues I raised in this Chamber back in February. There is a shortage in capacity for people with medical cards to access dentists. I hope the Minister will continue on that path. I welcome that he has listened to people in respect of these measures. Earlier this year, Senator Boyhan and I tabled a joint Commencement matter on the lack of dental hygienists. There are only 20 places available in Ireland for dental hygienist trainees. There is huge demand for their services. Trained hygienists are travelling abroad and not coming back. An expansion in training places will alleviate pressure on dentists. The dentists being trained now will be able to be targeted in the services they can deliver for people in our constituencies. Dental hygienist training is a big sector and I hope the Minister will look at it next. The next area is apprenticeships. The National Survey of Apprentices 2024-2025 stated there were 28,434 apprentices in 2024. Budget 2026 has allocated additional funds of €79 million, enabling an additional 12,500 apprenticeships by 2030. That is once again an example of the Minister listening to what has been said in this House, in the Lower House and on the ground and delivering on that. I mentioned after budget 2026 that it allocated €130 million to house adaptation grants for older people. It allocated €140 million for retrofitting social homes. As we know, both of these grants take time to process and complete. That is mainly down to the lack of skilled tradespeople on the ground able to do that particular work. In the Generation Apprenticeship progress report 2024 and plans for 2025, statistics show huge progress in apprenticeships and the availability of them. However, I note that capacity in carpentry and joinery places is only increasing by 8%. Places in plastering, which is a key skill in retrofitting and insulation, are only increasing by 3%. Permanent places are only increasing by 13% for the new heating systems. I looked a few moments ago and industrial insulation is down 25%. Wind turbine maintenance technicians are down by 71%. There is a capacity issue and demand out there. I welcome the sectors mentioned here where there is potential for apprenticeships moving forward. The Minister sent a letter to me on 2 May 2025. He should not worry because this is not bad. He stated, "Solas and my Department will continue to work with GRETB to support ongoing consideration of current and future FET provision for the Roscommon and wider region to ensure that appropriately scaled infrastructure is in place to meet the needs of learners." Senator Joe Conway mentioned regional balance and delivering apprenticeships where they are needed most. I welcome the opportunity for the Minister to meet with the GRETB, me and any other representatives interested to see if we can agree on a plan that might deliver much-needed apprenticeships in places like Roscommon, one of the few counties without such a centre. It is regional balance, and it would help the costs for people doing the study. I also highlight that the important thing with apprenticeships is the opportunity. The difference between apprenticeships and a third level course is the opportunity to earn while you learn. That is the real thing we need to push.