Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am sure they are. First of all, I wholeheartedly welcome the announcement today that it has been signed off that fishers from outside the EU and the EEA will be able to avail of proper work permits. It is something for which I advocated as soon as I came into this Dáil. I have to be grateful to the Minister of State, Deputy English, in this regard because I had brought it up in the Dáil Chamber with him previously. He promised me there would be movement on it and there has been. I must also mention the efforts of the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, who met some of these non-EU workers when they came to the gates of Leinster House to state their case. He listened and he has delivered. The Minister of State, Deputy James Browne, also took a question in the Dáil on this very issue and I know he pushed for it. Fishing is also big in his constituency of Wexford. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, is obviously the line Minister who brought this forward to get to where we are today.

It is really welcome news for all those non-EU fishers who for years have not being on an equal footing with the same fishermen with whom they have worked alongside on boats. They have not had the same rights. They have had to go back and forth to their home countries in order to keep the old atypical system alive. Sometimes, they have not been able to return to their families for the same reason. It has caused nothing but hardship. When the fishing sector protested in Cork city and Dublin, it did so on many issues, including quota share. One of the main issues on which people protested, however, was the whole area of this atypical visa and the fact that it had to be scrapped and a new work permit introduced. It is fantastic to start with that very welcome news. I am so proud that it was announced today.

This Bill includes efforts to speed up the whole process from start to finish in terms of permits being allocated and granted. I really hope this legislation improves the situation in the hospitality sector for restaurants and chefs and for cafes and hotels. Businesses are in this constant battle where they cannot get chefs or workers in the domestic market. They have to go abroad. It is really important that this Bill provides that function and expedites those permits.

I could say the same for the trucking sector. I have received calls as recently as this week about truck drivers who are going through that same arduous, slow process when they apply for work permits to work here. It is a big issue. There is a shortage of drivers. We know the importance of having a good haulage system in place in terms of the speed of delivery of goods and products. I really hope this legislation also addresses that.

My final point is on the critical skills list. There are workers who I believe should be placed on the critical skills list because of the importance of the service they provide, namely, those who work in nursing homes. There are nursing homes right throughout Ireland, particularly in my constituency, where there is a significant demand for the service but the staff are not available domestically. There is a shortage of staff so they cannot provide the service. They are not able to fill the beds in these homes and that is a big issue. There is a way that can be addressed. I am not sure how flexible the critical skills list is or how quickly additional sectors can be added to that, but I would really advocate for nursing home staff to be included on the critical skills list. It is really important. They provide an important service. I would like to see that happen

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