505. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the steps being taken to address the current shortage of qualified tradespeople across the country; the specific measures being implemented to attract, train, and support the next generation of apprentices and skilled workers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62408/25]
Topics / Apprenticeship Programmes
A subject heading for parliamentary questionsApprenticeship Programmes
347 questions from 80 TDs, between 22 January 2025 and 13 October 2026.
347
questions
333 written, 14 oral
80
TDs have asked
10
parties and groups
Independents counted together
7
departments asked
Questions per month
The record holds no questions for August, when the Dáil does not sit.
Jan 2025Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions |
|---|---|
| January 2025 | 1 |
| February 2025 | 15 |
| March 2025 | 23 |
| April 2025 | 11 |
| May 2025 | 28 |
| June 2025 | 7 |
| July 2025 | 47 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 13 |
| October 2025 | 34 |
| November 2025 | 30 |
| December 2025 | 31 |
| January 2026 | 24 |
| February 2026 | 10 |
| March 2026 | 5 |
| April 2026 | 19 |
| May 2026 | 23 |
| June 2026 | 6 |
| July 2026 | 17 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 2 |
| October 2026 | 1 |
Who asks, by party
The party each TD belonged to on the day, in alphabetical order. Parties differ a lot in size, and members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them, so this shows who raised it, not how much a party cares about it.
The TDs who asked most
Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them. Each question counts once.
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67
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24
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23
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16
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11
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10
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10
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8
Asked of
Debated under the same heading
Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.
The questions
507. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans to ensure no further examinations for future apprentices are leaked; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62406/25]
1138. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of apprenticeships registered in Dublin northwest from 2022 to date in 2025, by LEA, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61350/25]
2103. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his Department has conducted an independent review of SOLAS and the National Apprenticeship Office’s performance in delivering construction apprenticeships; and if so, to provide a copy of the review [58219/25]
2104. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the performance metrics used to assess the success of SOLAS and the National Apprenticeship Office in delivering construction apprenticeships; and to provide the most recent performance data available [58220/25]
2105. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his Department has received complaints from industry stakeholders on the responsiveness or effectiveness of SOLAS and the NAO in addressing construction sector needs; and to clarify the recourse available to those raising concerns. [58221/25]
2106. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his Department has evaluated the effectiveness of the Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025 in increasing construction apprenticeship numbers; and to provide the findings of any such evaluation. [58222/25]
2107. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the specific targets set under the Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021–2025 for construction-related apprenticeships; and if these targets have been met, exceeded, or fallen short. [58223/25]
2108. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the lessons his Department has learned from the shortcomings of the Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021–2025 in relation to construction workforce development; and the changes which will be made in the 2026-2030 strategy to address these gaps. [58224/25]
2109. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his Department has conducted a gap analysis comparing current apprenticeship output with the labour demand required to meet the Government’s commitment to deliver 60,000 homes annually; and to provide a copy of that analysis. [58225/25]
2112. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the specific measures his Department will adopt to rapidly increase construction apprenticeship numbers, given the current crisis-level shortage and the urgent labour demands associated with national housing and infrastructure targets. [58228/25]
2114. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will clarify the policy under which an apprentice's training allowance is reduced when their employer rejects college placement offers, even though the apprentice has accepted the placements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58348/25]
2115. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will outline the appeals process available to apprentices whose training allowances are reduced in such cases; if he will consider revising the guidelines to ensure apprentices are not financially penalised for circumstances beyond their control; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58349…
2136. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of students from Kildare north enrolled in apprenticeships for the 2025-2026 academic year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59123/25]
2151. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his Department’s plans to increase the up-take of apprenticeships in the building trade; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59831/25]
2155. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of students who will attend ATU Mayo from phase one to six under the Electrical Apprenticeship Programme for 2025-2026, by number of students for each phase; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60018/25]
2156. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the capacity of the college phases for the newly introduced Electrical Apprenticeship Programme at ATU Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60019/25]
2157. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if there are plans to increase the intake of students for Electrical Apprenticeship Programme in the next three years at ATU Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60020/25]
235. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of apprenticeships registered in County Kildare in each year from 2022 to 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57480/25]
902. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of craft and non-craft apprenticeship registrations in 2022, 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025. [56937/25]
903. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the amount of additional craft and non-craft apprenticeship places funded in Budget 2026, for the year 2026; and the allocation for those additional places in Budget 2026. [56938/25]
906. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science for an update on his Department’s commissioned research into the landscape of apprentice pay; to ask when he expects this final report to be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56984/25]
907. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science for an update from SOLAS regarding The National Apprenticeship Office’s commissioning of an independent economic assessment to incentivise participation in national apprenticeships by both employers and apprentices, drawing on international practice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56985/…
910. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of people accessing apprenticeships each year since 2020, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57351/25]
5. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the further actions he intends to take to increase craft apprenticeship participation given the additional funding announced in budget 2026 and the urgent need to increase the number of people qualified in the trades; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56315/25]