Damien English (Meath, Fine Gael)

I am glad to have an opportunity to comment on the Bill. We will have to examine this legislation closely on Committee Stage because more details were announced by the Minister in his speech than appear in the Bill, including the three pillars system. We will have to work on this Bill on an all-party basis during the remaining Stages.

While I welcome the legislation, the immigration issue has not been dealt with very well by the Government. I have said repeatedly that the Government has not examined the issue over the past three years and has neglected it. In addition to this legislation, the immigration and residence Bill will also come before the House, but since the issues overlap, these measures should be debated together. After five or six years of immense pressure arising from immigration, the Government is dealing with it now when things are beginning to calm down. It is a shame that it took the Government so long to address this matter. Every Deputy has had to deal with such problems in constituency offices. The lack of a proper immigration policy has caused much damage, and not solely concerning work permits. The immigration issue should have been dealt with properly and more clearly before now.

Deputy Coveney referred to racism which has been fuelled by the lack of clear guidance on immigration. I fear this lack of proper guidance has set the foundations for major problems in the years to come. The Government will be to blame for that since it did not act quickly enough. It is not necessarily solely the fault of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment because I agree that there is a cross-over with the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. The issue touches upon every Department, however, and it has not been addressed. Much of it comes down to begrudgery because Irish people do not know exactly what immigrants are doing here, what they are entitled to do, what they are receiving and whether or not they are working. There has been a lack of clarity, information and advice. I hope we will not be discussing such failures in five years' time when other problems arise.

Many refugees and asylum seekers have been waiting three, four or five years for a response to their applications, informing them whether they may remain here. The Bill does not deal with this matter. While waiting they are not allowed to work, contribute to society or participate in any way. In fact, they are costing us money, which is a shame. They do not want to cost us money. They are here for various reasons but they would prefer to work, earn money and look after themselves and their families. Nobody gains from the current situation which leaves everyone dissatisfied and fuels racism. It is a lose-lose situation across the board but it must be addressed. Our Departments cannot cope with the number of applications, so we know it will take two, three or four years to process them. Therefore, we should issue renewable six-month work permits for the first two years to such people who are here. The work permits will probably not be issued to those in the €30,000 per year category, but to those in lower skilled jobs. However, they want to work so they should be allowed to do so. It is not fair to leave people in Mosney to undertake study courses, living on €20 or €30 per week. They may be looked after but that is not what they want.

I have come across people in my constituency office who are trained in pharmacy and other health areas, yet they are not allowed to work. It is the greatest waste of talent, which is a shame. The Minister's Department together with the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform should be able suggest some solutions. This is not rocket science. We know it will take three years to deal with such applications so why not do something for them in the interim?

The unnecessary delays in the application process are causing confusion. It is difficult to obtain information on work permits, including how to go about getting them and who is entitled to apply. The legislation is changing but people should be informed of these changes. The Minister said he hopes to engage next year in an education policy by disseminating information. When that is done, I hope it will be made clear to everyone, including those applying for work permits, what is going on. It is common knowledge to all of us what is expected of a non-national who wants to work here, including the hassle non-nationals must endure in order to work. We must determine the target groups to whom the information should be addressed. Clarity is required because there is an awful lot of misinformation.

We all hear stories of people attending constituency clinics looking for something and the first thing they say is, "If I was a non-national...". That situation needs to end once and for all through providing clear information to everyone.

The Minister referred to different pillars, including a €30,000 to €60,000 category, but where did the lower figure come from? When it first came out the figure was €55,000 but I am glad someone had sense and realised that it represented a junior doctor's status. Where did we come up with the idea that one had to earn more than €30,000 a year to be considered as a skilled worker and qualify for a green card? Perhaps there is a logical reason behind it and, if so, I would like to hear it.

The legislation concerns a policy of issuing permits to bring people to work here. We need many such people and thousands of them are already here. The legislation does not refer to integration. It is all about work permits for immigrants but we cannot expect people to come here to work if we do nothing to help them to integrate. Very little is being done in that regard at the moment.

I have seen non-nationals in Navan, Kells, Trim and elsewhere in County Meath, and I am sure it is the same in every other county, who come here with or without work permits. They are living in estates and are trying to do their various jobs, but nothing is being done to help them to blend into our society. Consequently, they are not happy and neither are their neighbours. Something must be done to integrate them because it is no good bringing people here to work without a proper integration system that would help to get them involved in society. In that way they would gain more socially rather than merely economically. That responsibility needs to be addressed in the Bill. We must debate how we can achieve that objective.

Many people come here to work from outside the EU member states but they are unsure of their rights and responsibilities. One clear example can be seen on the roads where people are not used to driving on the left-hand side. This problem must be dealt with in a cross-departmental manner because it involves different Ministers. Many of those coming to live here are not ready to drive on our roads. Quite a number of local people cannot drive properly either, but that is another day's work. Do newly arrived immigrants know the rules of the road and are they receiving training in this regard? That is one example, but there are many other areas in which people coming from abroad need help and guidance. They need to be informed of their responsibilities and educated about our ways both for their own peace of mind and safety. I have seen too many crashes involving non-nationals. They may occur for various reasons but the problem needs to be discussed and sorted out. It cannot continue. I can produce facts showing we need to tackle this area. It is a matter which is slipping through. It is relevant to work permits, immigration etc. It is not being discussed sufficiently and it is not being resolved.

The Bill does not make it clear whether the work permit is issued to the employer or the employee. My reading is that the employee will get it if he or she has the offer of a job, which means it is still in the control of an employer. If the work permit is tied either to the employer or to a job the employee is not in control. An employee who loses a job will no longer have a permit which means that employees will still be fearful of what would happen if they question employers or do something wrong. The legislation does not go far enough as it still ties employees who do not have the scope to move to another job. Perhaps the Minister can clarify the position for me.

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