Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)

It was not too long ago that the Minister of State was on this side of the House. I wish him well in his new position. He is aware that the situation faced by our licensed hauliers is disgraceful.

Hard-working Irish businesses are trying to operate legally only to be choked by a lot of regulatory issues and a dysfunctional recruitment process. It is unbelievable. If a haulier in Tipperary in my constituency or anywhere else wants to hire a qualified driver from outside the EU, for example, South Africa, they must wade through a nine-stage bureaucratic minefield and deal with five different departments. The process involves licence exchange agreements, a mandatory 28-day labour market, visa applications, work permits, PPS numbers, residence cards and CPC modules. The list goes on. This process can take up to two years, with costs racking up every step of the way. At the end of it, the driver may not even be allowed into the country.

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