Before I begin, I will say that my thoughts and those of the party are with the families of those who lost their lives in the Stardust fire. As we all know, they have waited four decades for answers as to what happened to their loved ones at that time. They have faced many obstacles, including those put in their way by this State. I hope the families involved will get the answers they have waited for today. I extend to them my solidarity and the solidarity of everyone in Sinn Féin on this momentous day.

Tá an córas printíseachta a bhaineann le cúrsaí tógála i ngéarchéim. Tá a fhios ag an Taoiseach é seo mar is eisean a bhí i gceannas ar an gcóras seo le tamall fada. In áit ghnímh, is é an rud atáimid ag feiceáil ón Rialtas seo ná deiseanna grianghraf agus athfhógairt arís agus arís eile nach bhfuil inti ach aer te. Tá a fhios againn anois go bhfuil 9,000 daoine a bhfuil printíseachtaí i gcúrsaí tógála acu ag fanacht lena n-oiliúint as-an-obair a chríochnú. Ina measc, tá daoine ar mhian leo a bheith ina mbriceadóirí, ina siúinéirí agus ina bpluiméirí láncháilithe ach nach bhfuil in ann é sin a bhaint amach san am ba chóir nó san am a leagadh síos.

The construction-related apprenticeship system is in crisis and nobody should know this better than the Taoiseach. However, instead of action, what we got from this Government was photo opportunities and reannouncements that amounted to nothing more than hot air. There are now 9,000 in construction-related apprenticeships who are waiting to complete their off-the-job training. These include people who want to become fully qualified bricklayers, plumbers and carpenters. These are the people who want to help to sort out the housing crisis but, because this Government took its eye off the ball, it is taking far longer for them to get qualified. If the Tánaiste does not understand, the backlog of 9,000 means that a four-year apprenticeship can now take up to six years to complete and, because the rates of pay are tied to the number of phases of off-the-job training apprentices have completed, they are earning a hell of a lot less than they should be.

One apprentice electrician contacted my colleague Deputy Mairéad Farrell. He told her how he has been waiting 18 months to get called for phase 2 off-the-job training. This fella has three children to support. Many others have told us that they have waited more than two years for phase 2 off-the-job training. I hardly need to remind the Tánaiste that, after phase 2 off-the-job training, there are phase 4 and phase 6 before apprentices are fully qualified so they still have some way to go. Another individual who contacted us told us that he has been waiting 21 months to go into phase 4. He said that most of the work he does is the same as is done by qualified fellas but that they can earn double while he struggles day by day just to get by. We could go on and on with the real-life stories of the 9,000 people who are locked out of off-the-job training because the Government took its eye off the ball.

We are now seeing significant numbers dropping out of their courses because of the dire conditions. I have figures here that were provided by the Taoiseach in a signed letter he gave to Deputy Farrell. He tells us that registrations for craft apprenticeships in the last three years number approximately 6,000 and that, in that time, more than 1,000 people have dropped out. That is more than one in six craft apprentices dropping out, many because of their frustration at the length of time it is taking to get off-the-job training or at not being able to get it. It is a damning indictment of this Government and its supposed attempts to tackle the housing crisis. The Government is turning potential tradespeople away from the construction sector at a time when we need to expand our workforce. There are also people thinking of heading to Australia. One apprentice electrician told us that he will be going to Oz once qualified, saying that this country does not look after tradesmen. There is no mystery in this. The Government has treated these adults like children.

Given the delays we are seeing, that one in six are dropping out, that 9,000 are waiting for off-the-job training and that a four-year apprenticeship is taking six years or more, what is the Government going to do to sort this out once and for all?

First, I will say that all of our thoughts are with the families of those who died in the Stardust tragedy in 1981. For over 40 years now, the families have pursued their search for truth and justice. In a couple of hours' time, we will hear the verdict of the Dublin Coroner's Court. This will be an important moment for the families and for the entire country because the Stardust tragedy is seared into the collective consciousness of the Irish people. The tenacity of the families and their success in securing this inquest has been a service to all in society. I join with everyone else in sharing our thoughts with them today of all days.

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I will first make the overall point that more than 160,000 people now work in construction in Ireland. Tá dul chun cinn ollmhór le feiscint sa mhéadú ar an líon daoine atá ag obair ag tógáil tithíochta agus a lán rudaí eile. Tá an méadú níos láidre in Éirinn ná in aon tír eile san Eoraip. In percentage terms, our construction output is increasing. It is the highest output across the 27 European member states. You do not get those figures if you do not have apprentices coming through and if you do not have an increase in the workforce. That is the fundamental issue.

Nobody has taken their eye off the ball in respect of apprenticeships. Eliminating waits of six months or longer for apprentice training, predominantly phase 2 off-the-job training, has been an area of unrelenting focus for this Government. Indeed, we set up a separate Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to give greater focus at Cabinet to the whole area of skills and apprenticeships. Very significant progress has been made. The Covid-19 pandemic created very significant backlogs in respect of apprenticeships but those are reducing. The number of apprenticeship registrations to the end of 2023 was 8,712, an increase of 5% on the end of 2022 and of 41% on the 2019 figure. There has been a very significant change in respect of people signing up for apprenticeships. The number of craft apprenticeship registrations increased from 5,271 in 2019 to 6,588 in 2023, an increase of 25%.

In October of last year, all of the stakeholders formed a task force. This comprised departmental officials, SOLAS, the NAO, the HEA, ETBI, the ETBs, employers, apprentices, staff and their union representatives. It developed a cross-sectoral plan to address the backlog. I was surprised the Deputy did not reference the cross-sectoral plan developed by that task force. The National Apprenticeship Office is leading the response, overseen by the Department. The rapid implementation of the response plan means that the backlog had reduced to 3,460 by the end of March this year. This is made up of 3,347 waiting on phase 2, 95 waiting on phase 4, and 18 waiting on phase 6. Some €67 million was secured in budget 2024 for the delivery of apprenticeships. Approximately €300 million has been provided for apprenticeships in total. Of this, €40 million was temporary to assist with capacity in training. That will continue.