Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank those involved for the briefing this morning. I wish to raise a related issue that the witnesses might be able to assist me with. I appreciate that I am probably going a bit off the subject in this regard. It relates to work permits. The system is working much better at the moment. An issue I am increasingly encountering relates to employers who successfully secure permits for people who are trying to get visas to come and work here. I understand it is not the remit of the Department and it relates more to the Department of Justice, but I would appreciate if the officials could provide feedback to the Department of Justice as there seems to be no consistency across the various embassies, in particular in Karachi and New Delhi in terms of turnaround times, what constitutes a legitimate visa application and why applications and subsequent appeals are turned down. I do not know if the officials have any further knowledge of the issue or if any fact-finding has been done on it but there seems to be no consistency across the various embassies on it, which is a cause of concern. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment is doing everything possible for employers in granting the visas but it is extremely frustrating for employers who have done everything at this end when they cannot get workers into the country.

In one case I know the chef worked in a leading Dublin hotel and has opened his own restaurant at the peak of the pandemic. He is running it with his wife and son and is desperately trying to get a chef into the country. He has been frustrated at every turn for the past nine months.