Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)

Is it the case that the fees established for employment permits have not been reviewed since January 2007? While employment permit holders make up 1.5% of the labour force, they make up 3% on the live register, or 10,000 people, resulting in a loss to the economy on an annual basis of approximately €200 million. Would it not make sense to waive the fee for migrants who are resident here and who are in receipt of employment permits as this would remove the barrier for such migrants who are legally entitled to PRSI-based social welfare payments and give them the opportunity to take up a job for the period up to the expiry of their work permits? At present, they do not have the opportunity to avail of that because employers will not pay the fees and in the vast majority of cases the migrants do not have the resources to pay those fees.

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