Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 102: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment her plans to review the new work permit scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5351/10]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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In the first half of 2009, my Department completed a review of employment permit arrangements, the purpose of which was to ensure that such arrangements continued to be appropriate to the needs of our changing labour market. Following the outcome of consultations with the social partners and other interest groups, a number of changes were implemented for non-EEA nationals applying to enter the Irish labour market under the work permit and green card schemes from 1 June 2009, including provision for those employment permit holders who are made redundant.

The arrangements included the refusal of almost all work permit applications where the applicant foreign national is currently outside the State; the removal of some categories from the green card list – these included construction and engineering categories; a 50% increase in fees at renewal stage for new first time employment permit applications from outside the EEA; and a strengthening of the labour market needs test for new first time work permit applications.

Currently, employment permit holders constitute approximately 1.2% of the total labour force. The numbers of permit applications and consequent numbers of total employment permits issued, including both new and renewal permits over the past year, have been showing a consistent downward trend from 13,500 in 2008 to 7,900 in 2009. New permits issued have also fallen from 8,500 in 2008 to 4,000 in 2009. Most new permits issued in 2009 were for non-EEA nationals already working in the State who wished to change jobs.

My Department will continue to keep employment permit arrangements under review to ensure that they remain suitable and relevant to current labour market conditions. As before, the views of relevant stakeholders and interest groups will be taken into account in this ongoing review process.

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for his reply. It seems the Minister of State is washing his hands of this issue, considering he completed the review in the early half of 2009 and he seems to be satisfied with it. Is it not the case that it took him almost two years into the country's economic collapse before he actually reviewed the existing work permit rules in place up until June 2009?

While I accept that the majority of new applications issued may be for people already in the country, can he explain how it is that approximately one third of all the permits issued last year were new work permits but, in 2006, approximately one quarter of all work permits issued were new work permits? I argue the situation should be the exact opposite. Given that 85,000 additional young people are unemployed since this Government took office in 2007, and that 185,000 people became unemployed last year, is the Minister of State not concerned with the trend of those statistics?

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The new arrangements have been in place since last June and I will be happy to review them again this June as I think one year is a suitable time to allow them to become embedded.

As I outlined, we have considerably restricted the classes for which work permits may be issued. The Deputy may be referring to the green card scheme under which permits are issued on the basis of demand. I will check the figures and revert to the Deputy with the analysis.

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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I accept that some of these permits being issued are new work permits for people who may have fallen out of the system - it is important that such people are given legitimate status - and for people who may be leaving one employment for another in the same sector. However, new employment permits are still being issued in the agriculture and catering areas and in the domestic and services industries. Many of these permits are for low-skilled jobs. A total of 185,000 people lost their jobs last year. Is the Minister of State not concerned about the proportion of new permits being issued compared to 2006? One would imagine that there would have been far more new permits, proportionately, issued at a time when the economy was expanding? Will the Minister of State carry out a review to ensure that the people currently residing here, whether Irish or non-Irish, have the opportunity to gain employment and be taken off the live register?

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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As part of that review, we considerably strengthened the labour market needs test so that jobs seeking a work permit had to be advertised through FÁS and in the national newspapers to ensure that the hidden way of advertising them in the past was done away with. I am happy the labour market needs test is strong enough to support the new applications issued. Many Deputies approach the Department regularly to try to get support for various work permits, particularly in the catering industry as we become more specialised in our tastes as a country and in the way the industry is responding to those tastes. I am happy with the current labour market needs test and I will consider a further review.