I am happy to have an opportunity once again to speak on this subject. Through the good offices of the Ceann Comhairle, I had a Topical Issue debate on the subject last week. For that, I was grateful. I believe, having listened to the various speeches in the House, that it is generally recognised that a situation is developing in Belarus caused by its hijacking of a civilian aircraft en route to a destination in the EU. This is sinister. It is terrorist activity and it needs to be dealt with. If it is not dealt wit…

I will allow a supplementary question from Deputy Ó Murchú.

Deputy Ó Snodaigh was not interrupted when he was speaking. I ask that he not interrupt other speakers.

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this important issue. Certainly in my lifetime, and I am sure in his too, we have never known of an Irish-owned aircraft and its passengers and crew being hijacked. They were directed to a destination other than that of their choice and were give no opportunity to negotiate that. They were accompanied by a military aircraft and forced to land at a location chosen by the president of a non-EU state. On its face, this may seem to be just an incident but I believe i…

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive reply and note the action that has been taken. As well as that, whatever other measures are necessary need to follow, and will follow, according to what he outlined. If they do not, this will be repeated. Taking a passenger aircraft out of the air, by force, was an effective way of dealing with the situation. There have been incidents with passenger aircraft in parts of eastern Europe in the past, and we should not let it go unchallenged or pass without rigorously…

I support my colleagues in this particularly important debate. Now we have reached a stage where the light at the end of the tunnel is beginning to emerge in controlling the virus, it is equally important that our economy should respond to the needs of the workforce. We must do this with the utmost urgency and in a variety of ways. The European green certificate is one way of moving forward and we should utilise this method to the fullest extent possible. We should also try to recognise the pivotal and central posi…

This question relates to the tremendous work already undertaken by the Minister and to extending that further. In that regard, I am enquiring to what extent it is to be expected that areas will look well and be well in respect of having the ability to attract investment. In that context, to what degree will not only working from home be a desirable target but also the possibility of working from near home?

I thank the Minister for her comprehensive reply. Furthermore, to what extent can modern facilities be made available in urban and rural areas throughout the country to reduce commuting times for many of the people working in bigger corporations who may sometimes be travelling as much as 100 miles or 150 miles each day to get to work? Is it also possible to relocate sufficient resources to communal facilities in towns and villages to enable people to go to an area near their homes and still be able to work from an …

I thank the Minister again. We will welcome her whenever she wishes to return to my constituency. In a further enquiry on this issue, to what extent does the Minister and her Department liaise with the major corporations with many employees to seek the possible relocation of a portion of their staff to an area which may alleviate the need for long daily commutes?

I thank the Minister.

This question, in the name of Deputy Stanton, seeks to ascertain the progress made since the inception of the local training initiatives, LTIs, that is, how they have developed, the extent to which trainees have gone on to better things and a general profile of how the system is operating.

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. Will the number of participants, county-by-county, be made readily available? How many participants are involved now? Has the number fluctuated since the inception of LTIs? What reasons were given by those who did not complete their courses? Are there plans to improve, update or upgrade this scheme to attract the maximum number of participants with a view to graduation? In the same context, what did the participants do after completing their courses? Were they successful…

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I ask whether it might be possible to identify the direction in which the participants go after completing a course. Do many of them come back for repeat courses? Can they come back for repeat courses? In relation to the expansion, development and evolution of the courses for the participants, does the Minister of State have any proposals in mind with a view to maximising the benefits for the students and maximising financial returns following a cost-benefit analysis?…

This question relates to a subject that I raised with the Minister previously in regard to the development of an adequate supply of highly qualified graduates in both the academic and technical areas, and meeting the market requirements in that regard.

Can I further inquire as to whether, or the extent to which, the Minister and his Department continue to liaise with the various trades and professions with a view to attempting to identify the precise level of requirement into the future, and how will this compare with the experiences of other jurisdictions in the EU over the last 20 to 40 years, given their success in that area? To what extent does the Department continue to compare the requirement in the technical and academic areas to meet emerging and changing…

Has the Department, in its continued liaison with the various authorities throughout the country, observed any particular requirements specific to geographical areas that occur in one more than another? Is the Minister conscious of the fact that in the future we may need to diversify to a greater extent than in the past arising from, for example, Brexit and the impact of Covid-19? Are actions being put in place or targets being set in that regard? What are the Minister's observations from the ongoing assessment to …

In the context of the need for climate change targets to coexist with the agrifood sector and the need to monitor progress in respect of both, I ask the Minister to outline the extent to which he monitors the progress in those areas. For example, moss peat, which is an integral part of the horticultural sector in this country, is being discontinued and, I am told, replaced by an import. The question that arises is the degree to which the import, given that there is a carbon footprint and miles attached, achieves th…

I cannot see anybody else offering so I call the Minister of State to reply.

I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 37 and the name of the Member in each case: (1) Deputy Jennifer Whitmore - concern regarding a "Do not consume" water notice in Barndarrig, County Wicklow; (2) Deputy Alan Farrell - the quicker than expected growth in the renewable electricity sector within Europe; (3) Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor - engagement with SOLAS and the Higher Education Authority, HEA, to facilitate additional apprenticesh…

The Minister is present for the first Topical Issue matter raised by Deputy Whitmore.