Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this question. This is an important area and one the Department has concentrated on a great deal in recent years. We have made efforts to put in place the right team to manage the permits that have been applied for through the Department.

Much has already been done to improve the employment permit system. My Department is already focused on improving the service, with initiatives such as: the trusted partner registration system; the introduction of the electronic employment permit; and the multisite general employment permit for doctors. Waiting times for employment permit processing have been greatly reduced this year. They are now taking approximately three to eight business days to process, which is well down from where it was in January, when it was taking four or five months. A major change has happened there.

Ireland has a clear division between economic migration and general immigration policies. A recipient of an employment permit undergoes a separate application process with the Department of Justice for a visa to enter the State if they are a citizen of a visa-required country. Over 60 non-European Economic Area countries, such as the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Brazil, are not in the visa-required category so their citizens do not have to apply for an entry visa from the Department of Justice after they get an employment permit from our Department. In time, we would like to see the development of a single application procedure for work permits and entry visas.

My Department and the Department of Justice are currently establishing an interdepartmental group to examine the legal and operational changes required to deliver a more seamless customer experience for users of the employment permit and entry visa systems. It is expected that recommendations from this group could be made to Government within the next six months. As part of that working arrangement, the Tánaiste, the Minister for Justice, our officials and I had a working session to tease through the options we have in front of us on this to try to align our systems. This would ensure we would be in a position to deliver a faster and more efficient service to those who are applying for visas and permits. My Department is building a new employment permits IT system that will take advantage of the latest technologies to deliver a fast and efficient service. We will ensure that the new system is developed in tandem with the Department of Justice in order that both systems can deliver a more seamless service into the future.

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