Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister, Deputy Martin, sends her apologies. She has a bereavement in her family and cannot be here this morning.

Recruitment continues to be a significant challenge for the tourism sector, with up to two thirds of businesses reporting reduced capacity due to staff shortages. My Department and Fáilte Ireland have been collaborating with industry and other Departments to ensure there is a co-ordinated approach to addressing the labour and skills shortages. In February 2022 Fáilte Ireland published its most comprehensive research to date on the tourism and hospitality labour market. This robust and wide-ranging research programme covered the views of 1,000 employers and 3,500 workers with tourism and hospitality experience as well as international benchmarking and a review of education provision and consultation with recruitment agencies. This research is shaping Fáilte Ireland's work programmes this year to provide support to the industry. Fáilte Ireland's work includes supporting businesses to work together to drive the long-term repositioning of the sector as an appealing and rewarding career choice and workplace, helping to build the capability of individual employees to assist businesses to bridge the skills gaps they are experiencing and also driving greater employer attention by improving the quality of training across the business.

Fáilte Ireland also chairs the tourism and hospitality careers oversight group, which continues to work closely with industry bodies, education providers and other Government bodies to support sustainable employment in the tourism sector with an immediate focus on recruitment and retention initiatives, as well as focusing on the long-term repositioning of the industry as a career choice.

My Department and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science are both represented on the career oversight group. Officials from my Department also participate in the inter-departmental group on work permits chaired by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. The work of the group resulted in up to 350 work permits being granted for managerial positions in certain tourism and hospitality businesses. Last year my Department also successfully advocated for the prioritisation of chef permit applications, that is, engaging with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment with regard to different permits now required. My Department and Fáilte Ireland will continue to engage with and provide support to the tourism sector through these challenging times.

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