Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The conditions whereby an employment permit may be granted or refused are set out in clear detail in the legislation. Reviews of decisions on the granting of employment permits are provided for in section 13 of the Act of 2006. That section sets out that a review of a decision to refuse an employment permit shall be carried out by an officer of a grade senior to the grade of the person who made the refusal decision. The segregation of duties in the employment permits area is applied accordingly. The clarity imposed by the new provisions, in conjunction with this clear review structure, ensures the application, the refusal and the review process are based on transparent and explicit rules with a basis in law. In this context, it is the Minister’s view that setting up an independent process would create an unnecessary extra layer of administration with cost implications and no discernible benefits. On this basis, I do not accept the Deputy’s amendment.