David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for that. I am aware of some incidences where people refused to come here, despite being badly needed, because their spouses or partners would have been sitting at home all day twiddling their thumbs when they could have also contributed to the economy by working. There is a negative double-whammy there. I welcome the Minister of State's response that his Department is actively in favour of the proposal. It should be quite simple. If somebody has an intra-company transfer work permit, his or her spouse or partner should automatically be allowed to work, as is the case for those with critical skills permits. I do not know why that cannot be done. It is a simple matter and I am told that doing it would not be a great issue. Does the Minister of State have any information as to how many intra-company transfers into Ireland took place last year? In how many instances were spouses able to travel but unable to work?

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