Vol. 496 No. 4
158 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Defence the number of apprentices required by the Army over the next five years; the way in which this compares with the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23148/98]
The ongoing need for apprentices will be reviewed regularly and apprentices will continue to be recruited as required. Both the number and type of apprentices recruited are determined by the Defence Forces' requirement for particular skills. It is intended that, in future, apprentices will be trained externally and only very specialised apprentice training will take place within the Defence Forces.
