Ms Clare Dunne:

We are encouraging them to keep trying because we are mindful in the Department that even though we are at almost full employment, there are still 120,000 people unemployed. There are approximately 210,000 on the live register. All those people are in receipt of State payments. Our preference is for employers to be able to source their labour and skills needs as locally as possible without the need for work permits.

We are satisfied that, in the case of jobs in this sector, those people have made genuine efforts across the EEA. We have a good deal of evidence where they have gone to jobs fairs in the Baltic states and all the eastern European countries that used to be a very rich source of employment for Ireland.

However, they are not as interested now because their economies and wage levels are improving and they are taking the decision to stay at home or go to other countries. For example, Poland is now importing significant labour for jobs it is not possible to get people in Poland to do. Some of these people are not prepared to come as far as Ireland and we are mindful of that. We are also mindful of the fact that, as I said in the opening statement, work permits are not a permanent solution. We cannot accept a sector that keeps coming back again and again looking for work permits. If that is the case, the problem is with retention. My understanding of the sector is that not everyone wants to work in a meat plant. I have not visited one myself, but it is difficult work.