Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Cannon raising this issue. It is a big item on my plate at the moment and that of the Minister of State, Deputy English. There has been a 50% increase in work permit applications this year compared to before the pandemic in 2019. This is driven by a labour shortage for employers who cannot get staff. It is not just in Ireland; it is also in the European Union and in the European Economic Area. We have an action plan to reduce the delays. Currently, it is 19 weeks, which is totally unacceptable. We do not accept that, and we have an action plan. It will involve some system changes. There is a change around the way doctors' work permits are reviewed so they do not have to be done so frequently. We have also beefed up staff numbers. We have gone from 15 or 16 staff up to 50 staff in that section over time and have transferred from other areas. A lot of the new staff are doing work permits for the first time and learning how to do the job. I am assured that we will start to see those wait times coming down over the next couple of weeks.

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