Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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107. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the extent to which job replacement or restoration throughout the construction sector has been or is being realised; if further steps are necessary in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52839/21]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The construction sector was negatively impacted following the introduction of restrictions late last year. The number of individuals from the construction sector claiming the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) rose steadily in the early weeks of the year and reached a high of 62,902 claimants on the 9^thFebruary.

The phased reopening of the construction sector, beginning on 12^thApril with the recommencement of all residential construction projects, saw a sizeable decline in the number of PUP claimants. The full reopening of all construction on 4^thMay saw further improvements and the number of PUP claimants from the construction sector has continued to decline as the year has progressed. It stood at 8,668 as of 19^thOctober. This shows that more and more construction workers have seen their jobs restored as the sector has re-opened.

A further support for the construction sector that has helped maintain employment has been the Employee Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS). As was the case with PUP, the number of employees in the construction sector that were supported by the EWSS increased sharply in January 2021.

This vital scheme continues to provide valuable financial assistance to employers and has helped ensure employees remain within the sector. Almost 27,500 employees across all sectors participated in September 2021. The scheme will close to new employer registrations from 1^stJanuary 2022 and will conclude at the end of April 2022.

There are also steps being taken to ensure the skills and employment levels required by the construction sector are in place for the future. These are being delivered across Further and Higher Education, through apprenticeship, non-apprenticeship further education and training, mainstream education and training, as well as specific programmes such as Springboard+, the Human Capital Initiative and Skillnet Ireland.