Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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638. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the additional financial supports that are available to first and second year trade apprentices in view of the fact that wages at this stage of their education are very low. [37814/20]

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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The rates of pay for the 25 craft apprenticeship programmes are agreed by the partners within the relevant sector, or are set out in Sectoral Employment Orders (Construction Sector and Mechanical Engineering Building Services Contracting Sector). Rates vary between occupations and sectors but in all cases craft apprenticeship rates are expressed as a proportion of the qualified rate, increasing annually from 33% of the qualified rate in year one to 90% in year four. The most up to date rates are available on www.apprenticeship.ie.

In addition to their training allowance, craft apprentices attending phases of off-the-job training in an Education and Training Board (ETB) training centre, an Institute of Technology or TU Dublin are entitled to make an application for either travel or accommodation allowances for the duration of the period of off-the-job training.

Apprentices are primarily employees and eligible apprentices are entitled to access general employment supports such as the Working Family Payment and other relevant schemes.