Ms Edel McGinley:

Several steps have to be taken. It is difficult for employers to get work permits. We have a system based on a skills-based model. It does not take into account the labour market and where the labour market might be. The expert group on future skills needs makes recommendations on eligible categories of employment and there are many ineligible categories of employment in the work permit system.

In the red meat industry, several quotas were introduced in the last three years because the meat industry demonstrated, or provided data that seemed to demonstrate, a demand for new work permits. It is then necessary for a job to be advertised for a certain period of time. It is also necessary to comply with a rule requiring that no more than 50% of workers be from outside the EU, adherence to which I believe may now be questionable. Potentially, that might be why some of the data from the sector are a little unclear. It is called the 50:50 rule and it is in our legislation.