Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The CSO does research on the sector but it is not broken down by craft. We have given a breakdown by craft, so it is a bit difficult to compare and contrast. Ultimately, we saw that the construction sector was a very unfavourable one in which to work during the recession and that this had a considerably negative impact on the pipeline of apprentices. It took Ireland a long time to recover from this and to have a buoyant and experienced workforce to tackle the shortage of housing and the infrastructural issues that so many of our craftspeople, tradespeople and other workers throughout Ireland are now addressing for us.