Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I asked the question because I was thinking of care assistants in nursing homes and people working in the hospitality sector, perhaps those working front-of-house and those in the cleaning section and housekeeping. It is similar to the challenges those in the food processing industry find in terms of attracting and recruiting workers. This is because of the type of work. The pay associated with the work makes it difficult to attract people locally. That is why there is a permit to facilitate people from non-EEA countries to work in this sector. It is extended for up to nine months.

When I made the point on the hospitality sector and the health care sector, departmental officials actually said they are not coming under pressure. They encouraged people to make the point if particular sectors were feeling a challenge or were coming up against obstacles in trying to attract key staff in certain roles. They said people need to make that point to the Department. When I made the point to Department officials they pushed back and said there was no one telling them that. They said if people were telling them that then they would have to respond. It is welcome that IBEC has made the point today. I realise the IBEC representatives are limited in what they can say in a short period. However, they should ensure that these points are made to the Department. It is crucial that this permit system is available to the sectors that need it. Frankly, at the moment with almost full employment some sectors are struggling to find the right staff and to retain staff. As a consequence industry is not growing to its full potential.