Ms Clare Dunne:

We have known for some time that there is a need for a seasonal permit in certain sectors in Ireland. The obvious one that springs to mind is horticulture. The other thing that we are aware of, which became very apparent during the course of the review last year, is that Ireland is a clear outlier. We are one of very few countries that does not make any provision for a seasonal permit, including a recurrent permit where migrant workers could come and work in the country for six, seven or eight months and come back again the following year. The only other country that I am aware of that does not have a seasonal permit is Denmark. Every other country has one. Even when Greece was in the depths of its financial crisis, it still needed to bring in certain seasonal permits.

We will need to work closely with stakeholders and look at what is happening outside Ireland as we develop that permit. The permit would apply to non-EEA nationals. That non-EEA national would retain a legal domicile in his or her own country but would reside temporarily in Ireland for the purposes of employment. We would have to look at the duration of the permit. It could be five or six months, depending on the sector. The permit holder will not have immediate access to State benefits. Minimum remuneration thresholds will be applied. As happens in other countries, we will look to employers to ensure that they support the employee with matters such as flights, access to reasonable accommodation and sometimes language courses or classes. We would limit the permit to certain sectors and occupations. We would look at potential risks because we are aware that potential risks attach to such a permit, such as overstaying the duration of the permit. Those are the main criteria. We have plenty of examples such as the scheme in the UK and we are looking at many countries, including New Zealand, Canada, Australia, the United States, South Korea and Japan.

The Deputy asked about the labour market needs test. Currently, an employer is required to satisfy the Department that it has made every effort to get somebody. We make no bones about it. The Government policy is to give preferential treatment to local jobseekers and jobseekers across the EEA. We need some assurance that some effort has been made to recruit somebody locally or from the EEA. Employers are currently required to demonstrate to us that they have advertised for two weeks in Ireland and across the EEA. Quite often, a criterion in Ireland is that an employer must take out an advertisement in a national newspaper for three days. Quite frankly, how that ever ended up in primary legislation-----