Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I thank the Deputy for his feedback. Our Department has taken significant steps in making the employment permit system faster and more efficient. As I said in my earlier contribution, we launched the employment permit online system back in April of this year. We have already seen how it has transformed the application process. It makes it easier and more secure. Over 47,000 successful registrations have been completed and the permit submissions have returned to pre-launch levels. Currently the processing times are around 31 business days for general employment permits and 16 business days for critical skills' permits. These timelines continue to improve. It is part of the broader digital transformation project we are undertaking and it allows Ireland to become and remain competitive on a global stage in regard to critical skills and critical skills' employment permits.

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