Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We are working on a significant overhaul of the work permit system. We will make it much more accessible and much easier to deal with. We will broaden the ranges of skills, particularly where ICT staff at present are only regarded as an automatic category if they are working in the ICT sector. We recognise that approximately 75% of them work outside the ICT sector. Therefore, there will be a broader and easier system. We also will introduce trusted partner concepts so that persons can have confidence that they will get permits, although we are not going down the route where anyone can walk in with a visa that is not related to a job opportunity. However, it will be a dramatic change.

Language deficits continue to be a problem. It is not as simple as putting on a few more courses. As Deputy Calleary stated, this refers to ability close to that of a native speaker. It will be a longer-term project. There are concepts such as international marketing and languages which can be of real benefit to indigenous companies seeking to trade overseas, but the gap of those able to speak a language as a native would be a harder gap to fill in the short term.

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