Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)

I am not aware of the specific document to which the Deputy refers and I will revert to the Deputy. Our green card system is still very responsive to the areas mentioned by the Deputy. Green cards are still issued for ICT professionals such as computer systems managers, analysts, programmers and testers. Green cards continue to be issued for health care professionals, for all medical practitioners and for those working in areas in the health system where there are vacancies. This continues to be Government policy. For the information of the House, a total of 775 green cards were issued in 2009, which is one third of the number issued in 2008. All those permits were for occupations for which there were strategically important high level skills shortages. Green cards are issued according to enterprise priorities if those priorities cannot be filled from within the indigenous or EU labour force.

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