I wish to focus on the issue of delays to craft apprenticeships, such as plumbing and electrical apprenticeships, throughout the country. The Government recently announced an ambitious Housing for All plan, but its success is predicated, among other things, on being able to attract new construction workers. Around 27,000 are required, according to some estimates. On top of that, the Taoiseach's colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Ryan, has stated that we need 27,000 new construction workers to carry out retrofitting across the State. Where are they all going to come from?

At the moment, 3,500 apprenticeships are delayed because of backlogs caused by Covid. I do not doubt the difficulties Covid caused for the vocational side of the training they do in education and training boards, ETBs, and colleges across the State. However, I do not believe that difficulties are a sufficient excuse. We need these workers to be trained and to enter the workforce. We also need to ensure they realise how valued they are, because 5,500 trainees left apprenticeships over the past five years. I do not know why this happened. I am not saying all of it was because of delays or even any of it was necessarily because of delays. However, I know many of my young constituents in County Clare are very frustrated by the delays because they cannot move on to the next level, which has repercussions for how much they can earn, when they are going to earn properly and, they hope, get a house and support a family.

SOLAS announced funding recently and stated that the backlog would be cleared. What does it mean that the backlog will be cleared? Does it mean the backlog of getting new apprentices into the system will be cleared? Currently, there are apprentices who started a four-year apprenticeship and are now being told it will take them six years to complete it. Medical, dental or other students across the State are not being told that instead of their degrees taking four years, they will now take six years, nor should they be. Apprentices should not be treated any differently. The State should do whatever it takes to ensure these apprentices get the training they signed up for in full and on time so that they can enter the workforce. That is, of course, if the Housing for All plan is to actually take off. There are many other problems. Construction materials are costing a lot of money and very little is being done in terms of granting felling licences to get timber in. However, I wish to focus on apprenticeships today. What is the Government going to do on apprenticeships? Will it provide a guarantee to existing apprentices and those who are hoping to start apprenticeships that they will finish their apprenticeships on time and the ETBs and colleges will be providing the training that is an essential part of their apprenticeship to enable them to finish on time?

First of all, I thank the Deputy for raising the question. It is a very pertinent question that goes to heart of the challenges that face us in terms of Housing for All and having the requisite skill sets, but also across the broader economy. There is a waiting list for craft apprentice off-the-job training in electrical, plumbing, carpentry and joinery. The Deputy is correct on that. Covid and the measures that happened as a result in terms of lockdowns have been a factor in backlogs, but there has also been a doubling of the apprentice population over the past four years.

In addition to that, there was the closure of face-to-face training in 2020 and 2021 and reduced capacity due to Covid-19 distancing requirements. Programmes were running at a capacity of 40% to 50% to allow for appropriate distancing. SOLAS, as recently as last Thursday, announced the actions being taken to address this so apprentices whose training has been affected by the impact of Covid will be offered places for phases 2, 4 and 6 of their programmes, which consist of off-the-job training. More than 4,800 apprentices currently on a waiting list for off-the-job or workshop-based training are now on track to commence their training by the end of 2021. This represents 40% of those currently waiting. One hundred per cent will be returned to workshop-based training in 2022. We fully accept the vital importance of getting these apprentices back into their programmes as quickly as possible. Those who are waiting the longest will be prioritised.

Twenty million euro in capital has been allocated to SOLAS and the Higher Education Authority, HEA, to provide up to an additional 4,000 off-the-job training places for craft apprentices to address the current backlogs. From September 2021, course provision returned to full capacity. Places created from the capital investment of €20 million are now beginning to come on stream. This expansion is planned to continue throughout 2022 as new facilities become available for learner use. A restructuring of phase 2 programmes in the three main apprenticeship areas — plumbing; electrical; and carpentry and joinery — will allow for blended learning over the coming period, reducing the time spent on site and providing for an additional intake off premises at phase 2.

The Deputy will know that the apprenticeship incentivisation scheme will continue to operate until the end of this year. We will review that. Employers approved by SOLAS to employ apprentices are eligible for a €3,000 grant for each new apprentice registered. Between March 2020 and August 2021, in excess of €10 million was sanctioned for payment under this initiative, supporting almost 2,000 employers to employ more than 3,500 apprentices. Phase 2 training continued throughout the summer, with 780 apprentices starting their training in July and August. Phase 2 is scheduled on an ongoing basis. Therefore, more classes are being scheduled at present.

At the end of August, there were about 18,733 registered craft apprentices, with 9,743 waiting for a period in respect phases 2, 4 or 6 of their seven-phase apprenticeships.

The time is up.

Basically, SOLAS and the HEA have been working with the training providers. The resources have been provided to get back up to speed, but also to increase and expand.

I do not doubt the difficulties caused by Covid, nor do I doubt any of the measures the Taoiseach has outlined. I greatly welcome them all. My question is simple: will these apprentices finish their apprenticeships when they are scheduled to do so? No doubt, they have made plans for their lives, including to buy a van and get working, and ultimately to buy a house as they are building houses. Will they be able to commence as fully qualified electricians, carpenters, plumbers etc., as scheduled?

To draw an analogy, the members of the Government have a slightly unusual relationship in that the Tánaiste, Deputy Varadkar, was told he would be Taoiseach again in December 2022. If the Taoiseach turned around to the Tánaiste and said that since there have been a lot of difficulties over Covid, he was not going to be Taoiseach for another year at least-----

He might yet.

-----I am not sure how it would play out for the stability of the Government. The Taoiseach might reflect on that and how apprentices who have made life plans must feel. Will they be able to finish their apprenticeships on time?

The Deputy is tempting me. Obviously, on-the-job training, off-site training and so forth are important. The blended programme I referred to should make up time, and there is a desire to get people back on track in terms of the timeline so they can complete their apprenticeship programme within the timeline identified at the outset. I cannot give guarantees in respect of that but I would like to believe that SOLAS and the HEA will be flexible and sensible enough in terms of the design of the programmes and using that blended approach to facilitate the individuals concerned.

Overall, what is clear from this is that there has been a step change. The new Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science is leaving its mark in respect of further education and apprenticeship training, but it is also bringing together and co-ordinating much more effectively than heretofore SOLAS, the education and training boards, and the Higher Education Authority. This is extremely important if we are to achieve the best value for the resources that are allocated and more targeted approaches.

We need more skilled apprentices available to the economy right across the board. We have a retrofitting programme to do, and, again, we will require specific skill sets for that in addition to the housebuilding. There is a whole programme on direct provision. A whole programme will be required right across the board. It is going to be very challenging on the skills front.