Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)

The powers available to the Minister under section 12(1)(c) to refuse to grant an employment permit for breaches of employment permit legislation or the employment protection enactments in Schedule 1 are discretionary and not mandatory. That is the concern Deputy Hogan had. If breaches occur and such breaches are not serious or of a technical nature, they would not automatically disqualify the applicant from being granted an employment permit. Section 12(1)(c) refers to conviction of an offence, which would not be likely to occur in the case of inadvertent or minor breaches.

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