Ms Clare Dunne:

It is tough work. At the same time, these companies need to work on retention and to put in place training and upskilling for these people so that they have some level of progression at sites they join at entry level. This is all part of what we have agreed with the sector in return for allowing these permits. The sector must also guarantee to us that the people coming in on these permits will have access to suitable accommodation as that is another concern of ours. Once one starts to tinker with the work permit system or labour market and to bring people in from outside the immediate environment, one is into all sorts of knock-on effects on low wages, access to State supports, housing, infrastructure pressures and so on. We are trying to strike a balance between allowing these processing firms to stay in business and to fill overseas orders and yet to get them to improve the terms and conditions so that more people will want to go in.