Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Cathaoirleach. I welcome the Minister to the House this morning. I wish to congratulate her publicly on her new role in which I know she will excel. Given that Limerick has the fastest growing economy outside of Dublin, I look forward to welcoming her to Limerick and the region in the future.

Today, I wish to raise the issue of the critical skills employment permit. On the one hand, as education spokesperson I know people go to college and upskill. On the other hand, employers say there is a shortage of people for certain skills. I give the two examples of chefs and hotel managers. Some people who have a small business approached me and told me that they got no response to an advertisement that they placed in The Irish Timesand displayed in one of their windows seeking a chef. The shortage of chefs has been acknowledged across the board and the Restaurant Association of Ireland always mention the shortage. There was a man here from Nepal who came to Ireland as a student. As he was a student here he was entitled to work 20 hours per week so he started working in the restaurant as a trainee chef. The restaurant then paid for him to go to college and now wants to employ him as their chef because he has all of the skills.

On the other side of the coin, people who own a hotel came to me about a similar matter. They have a man who is well qualified as he has a degree in hotel management and business studies and other qualifications. He has been in Ireland on a stamp 2 form since 2003. His permit kept being renewed and he was able to work so many hours a week. As he is very qualified and gets on very well with the hotel's customers they want to make him a full-time employee. Unfortunately, hotel management does not form part of the critical skills list and he does not qualify for an employment permit. The scheme was established when there was a shortage in certain areas but it is time the list was expanded. We should consider the areas that are experiencing shortages, particularly areas where employers cannot find people to take up jobs. I look forward to hearing the Minister's response.