Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I draw the Minister's attention to an issue we are encountering around recruitment of qualified bus and haulage drivers. It is a real constriction point within the economy. We have access to an excellent pool of qualified bus and haulage drivers from abroad but some of the quirks in the system mean that the people who are coming in are sitting around for three months without being able to get into work. There is a delay in drivers getting appointments for their Irish residency permits and then a delay in processing the card once the appointment is complete. This delay sits in the Department of Justice where the Minister served herself for a while. Then, on the other side of the coin, there is the National Driver Licence Service, under the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, which cannot process the licence until it has the physical Irish residence permit in its hands. It just means qualified drivers who are sitting here ready and available for work, and who are much needed, are being left to sit around for in excess of three months. It is something that could easily be resolved and I ask the Minister to have a look at it.

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