Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is. There is a significant issue with vacancies and the difficulty in attracting workers for a whole range of sectors, especially hospitality, truckers in the haulage industry, and construction, although the capacity for construction is back to where it was before the pandemic, which is a good story. The Tánaiste and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment have been apprised of the fact. We have engaged with the Department to accelerate work permits and visas for people living outside the European Union area. It needs to be kept under constant review. I know that, in respect of foreign direct investment, there has been a long-standing arrangement to try to accelerate critical companies' capacity to bring in non-EU or non-EEA workers. Given the level that the economy, employment and resulting vacancies are at, there is a need to accelerate and to review our existing practices with regard to attracting workers from non-EU countries.