Mr. Oliver Gilvarry:

While this year's report on the challenges did not consider the specific area of work permits, there was a recent announcement by the Government about changes to work permits and a number of them involved the agrifood sector. This issue comes back to the points made earlier about trying to have Ireland seen as a location that is attractive for people to come and work in. There are a number of aspects to that. First, if people come from outside of the European Union, we need to have the permit system in place in order that the process is relatively smooth. I note the Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy English, announced the Government's intention to improve that. Ultimately, however, we need to be a jurisdiction that is attractive for people to want to come to work in. This comes back to the concept of Ireland as an attractive place in which to both work and live. We must have the other supports in place such as mandatory sick pay and affordable housing. Those different aspects will help to attract people into the country. The agrifood sector has always had labour shortages. In primary production, employers have been trying to recruit workers for fruit picking - not so much in east Cork but certainly in other parts of the country - and to get people in to support the dairy sector. While we did not consider it in our report, we regard it as a new way of living and working and it must, therefore, be an attractive jurisdiction.

In addition, from a state perspective the Government must have a process in place where the permit system is working appropriately, it is identifying where there are shortfalls in relation to workers and that they can come in. Ultimately, however, it is that people are willing to come in and see Ireland as an attractive place to come and work, whether that is within the Union or outside it.