Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 October 2025
885. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science for an update on the work being done by his Department, and agencies under its remit, to facilitate, in line with the commitment under the Programme for Government, the easier return to Ireland for emigrants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56789/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department oversees the implementation of Impact 2030, our national R&I strategy which highlights the crucial importance of people and talent to the Irish research and innovation ecosystem.
Under Impact 2030 my Department developed and published Global Citizens 2030 – which sets out Ireland’s strategic vision for talent and innovation to be at the heart of Ireland’s global footprint. As part of this work, two DFHERIS Talent and Innovation attachés have been appointed and are now working from the Irish Consulates in Boston and San Francisco. The Government has committed to appoint a total of six such attachés by 2030 who will co-ordinate and prioritise Ireland’s global talent and innovation activities.
Following on from Government approval in May 2025, our national R&I funding agency, Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland, launched the Global Talent Initiative in July this year. The Global Talent Initiative is a recruitment programme that will provide the resources needed to establish or relocate world-class research teams to Ireland, enabling them to carry out globally competitive research.
Ireland also needs people with construction skills and experience to help deliver on ambitious targets for new housing and infrastructure. The National Development Plan outlines a record €275.4 billion in public capital investment, aiming to secure Ireland's future, to transform the country, unlock housing, upgrade water and energy infrastructure, deliver more roads, and provide better public transport.
Construction workers are in demand, and there are lots of opportunities for Irish construction workers who have moved abroad and are considering returning. Between now and 2030, Ireland needs between 69,000 -79,000 additional construction sector workers to help deliver on ambitious targets for residential construction and retrofitting targets alone.
My Department is leading on a number of initiatives to address the skills gap in construction, including a campaign aimed at Irish construction workers abroad who are considering returning home. The campaign was developed following feedback from Irish construction workers abroad, that skills they developed abroad may not be valued at home. The campaign ran for two weeks in October 2024 in Canada and Australia and will run for seven weeks this October and November, across Canada, Australia and the US, with anticipated spend of €277,055.
Analytics to date show strong engagement with the campaign with more than 2million views via social media. The Build Back Home website has more than 68,750 visits, 95% of which are from North America, Canada and Australia. While definitive causal effects cannot be concluded, the above initiatives will have had a contributory effect on the following key metrics:
• 18% increase in All Construction Workforce (Source: CSO)
• 31% increase in Housing Construction Workforce (Source: CSO)
In addition to this, my Department is also engaged with the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade on developing a new Diaspora Strategy, a further commitment contained in the Programme for Government.
