I admire the Minister’s suit. I recall it was a tradition for a while that the summer properly started in Leinster House when former Member Bernard Durkan broke out his cream and grey suit. Perhaps the Minister – another Kildare TD - is now taking up that mantle and is the tribune of summer in Leinster House.

Sentiment score: 0.03

That would be a fine record. On the research side of things, I back the calls by IFUT. We are talking about taking research seriously, and rightly so, but people undertaking PhDs in crucial areas of research in many instances still receive a stipend that is very low. It needs to be acknowledged that this is not some form of payment towards maintenance; it is their full-time job. They are not meant to be doing anything else. They are meant to be full time at the PhD, whatever discipline it is, whether science, health or whatever. It is meant to be a full-time occupation. Ultimately, the PhD stipend is not sustainable in particular in Dublin and Cork and probably in the other cities as well. That needs to be addressed. On the skills side and apprenticeships, I remain concerned. We have a housing crisis and it continues to escalate. We are not going to resolve that without ensuring there is adequate throughput of apprentices on the craft apprenticeship side. There are serious backlogs. Like my colleague, Teachta Mairéad Farrell, I have heard of people who have gone through the different stages of the apprenticeship and waiting for the final stage for a year or two years. What is meant to be a four-year qualification takes six years. That is unacceptable. If we are encouraging people to take up apprenticeships, it should not just be school-leavers. It should be people switching careers. Unfortunately, it is not realistic for somebody in their thirties who might have a mortgage or childcare costs and is leaving a different career. They are not able to survive on first-year and second-year apprentice payments. It is just not sustainable. That needs to be looked at. How do we support people who decide at 33, 34 or 35 years of age or whatever age or maybe later that they want to become an electrician when there is clearly a need in that discipline. There are blockages in most of the trades, particularly instructors for electricians and electrical instrumentation. There is a particularly slow take-up of wet trades. When you talk to contractors, that is a big concern for them. We need to look at how to bring more people into apprenticeships and into the wet trades, which are badly needed during this housing crisis. That needs particular examination.

Sentiment score: -0.04