Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will not require 30 minutes. I am here in place of Deputy Calleary who cannot be present. I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Bill. While Fianna Fáil broadly supports its provisions, we will bring forward amendments on Committee Stage.

We are all acutely aware of the importance of the information and communications technology sector to the economy. If the sector is to thrive, it is important that it have the best possible range of skilled people available to recruit. It is worth highlighting that the export group on future skills needs report, published in November 2013, projects that there will be more than 44,500 potential job openings for ICT professionals in Ireland during the period from 2013 to 2018. These include almost 20,400 potential job openings for both new graduates and skilled professionals between 2013 and 2015. Fianna Fáil fully supports the idea of making Ireland the Internet capital of Europe. Many of the firms which operate so successfully in the ICT field first began their Irish operations during the lifetime of the previous Government. It is important that the growth of the sector should not be impeded by a lack of available suitably skilled staff. In this regard, the reduced processing time for permit applications is to be welcomed. When launching the Bill, the Minister stated, "Our ambition ... is to fill as many of those [the 44,500 potential openings to which I refer] as we can from the Irish-based education system – 75 per cent is our target." That is a very ambitious target.

The role of the Department of Education and Skills is critical in this regard as it must ensure there are sufficient numbers of Irish graduates with the required skills to take up these roles as they become available. I am unconvinced that we are as far down the track as we should be in this regard. The design and delivery of information and communications technology courses at university are critical to success in achieving this target. We need to hear from the Minister for Education and Skills on how he intends to achieve this target and what he has done to date. The history of third level courses in this country suggests they have been slow to adapt to market needs and we must ensure that does not happen in this case. Every support should be given to persons who are willing to go back to the education system, retrain and make themselves available in this sector. Supports should be in place for them and it is critical that the target the Minister has set himself, that is, for 75% of vacancies to be filled through the workforce, is met.

I am pleased that the Minister is addressing the issues raised in the Younis case. In this case an employee had his claim for €96,000 in compensation granted by the rights commissioner overturned by the High Court on the basis that he did not have a valid work permit and, therefore, was not entitled to protection under Irish legislation. There was widespread fear that this ruling would see employers exploit this deficiency in the legislation by hiring workers without work permits and paying them less than the minimum wage. This was an appalling case and it is unfortunate that it has taken the Minister two years to address what is an obvious deficiency in the law. We support the provisions to close off this loophole.

We also welcome the new category of employment permit for spouses, civil partners and dependants to enable family members of holders of critical skills employment permits and researchers to work in the State. When someone is making a decision to relocate and take up an employment opportunity, he or she must consider many other factors, including whether his or her family can travel with him or her. This is an overdue reform which should help to underpin the other provisions.

When discussing the issue of making it attractive for people to come to Ireland to take up employment opportunities, there are issues to consider besides the provision of employment visas. In particular, the cost of living is an increasing factor that influences people's decision on where to locate. In the Grand Canal Dock area of Dublin there is a large population working in the ICT sector with firms such as Google, Facebook and eBay who are located in the vicinity. I have heard reports that many newly arrived persons looking to take up employment locally have encountered considerable difficulty in obtaining suitable accommodation at a reasonable price. While this issue is outside the scope of the Bill, it is nonetheless an important factor in ensuring we can meet the demand for ICT employees. Just as we need to get employment legislation correct, including the law relating to permits, we also need to ensure those filling vacancies enjoy an appropriate quality of life and standard of living. This may prove increasingly difficult in years ahead if we do not address issues around the cost of renting and other cost of living issues, including the marginal rate of tax.

While the issue of attracting highly skilled employees in the ICT sector is the focus of this legislation, it would be remiss of us not to give consideration to the plight of persons not in the high skills arena. Migrant Rights Centre Ireland has highlighted the fact that many in the low-pay sectors of the economy who are the holders of employment permits are potentially subject to exploitation by employers. It has stated:

Binding a worker to one employer under the current employment permits system is a leading factor in the exploitation of migrant workers. Denying workers the freedom to change employer is also a major cause of workers becoming undocumented.

This is a valid opinion, one that I am keen to see the Minister address.

I welcome the Bill which is an important reform of employment legislation. I look forward to my colleague, Deputy Dara Calleary, bringing forward constructive amendments on Committee Stage.

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