I welcome the opportunity to talk about the National Training Fund because, as the Minister will know, we have long wanted to unlock this fund. It is, as was said, the fund that employers and hard-pressed businesses have paid into. They feel they have got very little back for the payments that have been made and they have been seeing the figures accumulate over the years. I have some concerns about this fund and what the Minister is proposing for it. We need further discussion on the detail of how this will be done. The first thing I would propose to the Minister is around the consultation that has happened on the unlocking and what it will mean. Has there been consultation with IBEC and ISME, the employer representative groups, to get their opinions on it? Obviously, these groups are dealing with hundreds of businesses and will know what businesses need in terms of training. Are there any caps on the amounts of money that can be used in the different areas? If we say, for instance, that the fund can be opened up to the purchase of land, as the Minister knows, infinite figures could be locked in that way. Again, I would like to see caps in these areas if he is considering that. We have a €306 million deficit in further and higher education and that is quite disgraceful. It really has not been addressed in any meaningful way. I do not want the National Training Fund to be suddenly used to plug all of the gaps. I absolutely recognise the need for investment. There has not been the investment in the technological universities that was promised. They can be much better used to support the very businesses that have paid into this fund. We are told that carbon tax is being used for decarbonisation and to meet our targets. Again, I am very concerned about the amount of money that can be eaten up in that space. I agree 100% that there needs to be decarbonisation on the part of all of the higher education institutes but I cannot see how the National Training Fund can or should be used. That has to be an investment from the other funds that are being set aside for that. Has the Minister done an assessment of the allocations of the moneys? I really need to see further detail on that. If the Department could supply us with a further briefing paper on what might be done, that would be helpful. As a party we want to work with the Government but we do not want to end up in a situation where this fund is gone. Our competitiveness that we talk about every day of the week is at a very critical point. The driver for our competitiveness, or how we are going to ensure it into the future, is an educated labour force. It will ensure we remain competitive into the future. We have so many changes in this space, from the development of AI and technologies to everything else companies are faced with. Right across the island, we have not had the emphasis we have needed on lifelong learning. I refer to lifelong learning for everybody, including for people with disabilities and other people who need to be able to participate fully in the workforce. I am also watching our productivity rates in terms of how we address the gaps there to remain competitive. The National Training Fund, first and foremost, should be used for that lifelong learning before it is used for anything else, to ensure all the gaps are addressed there. I also want to see the National Training Fund being used for the North-South initiatives and the change of learning there. Under the shared island unit, we could have much better collaboration whereby somebody in the North may be able to do part of an apprenticeship in the South and vice versa. That brings all kinds of value with it. That is probably all I will say about it at this point. As our party's spokesperson on further and higher education, Deputy McGettigan, said, we reserve the right to make amendments to what the Minister is proposing but we want to work constructively with him. I really want to know about the depth of consultation that has taken place with the employer representative groups and with the unions as well. That is critical because we have such a large amount of money here to be able to deal constructively with and we want to ensure its potential it is maximised. Go raibh míle maith agaibh.

Sentiment score: 0.14