Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Mo bhrón, mo bhrón. The Department has considered the waiving of fees in exceptional circumstances. However, the Bill is intended to place the issue of employment permits on a clear, statutory basis to a level of detail which precludes consideration on a case-by-case basis of the widely varied circumstances of individual applicants. This is what would be required were the Deputy's amendment to be accepted. Furthermore, the grounds on which such a waiver might be applied would necessarily be based on a third-party and possibly unsubstantiated report into the circumstances of the applicant, or an investigation into those circumstances, which would likely cause considerable delay in the issuing of the permit and consequently might jeopardise the employment in prospect. The levels at which fees are set will be stipulated by regulations and the Minister is committed to carrying out a review of the fees for employment permits later in the year. More than 40% of applicants currently pay no fees.