Anthony Lawlor (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

One remembers seven or eight years ago when unemployment was at 15% or 16%, in contrast to the position we are in now. Of course that followed a previous Fianna Fáil Administration, as most people in the House would know. We are now at 4.6% unemployment, virtual full employment. I wish to ask the Leader for a debate on how to review the current work permits system. I get calls from various businesses in the meat industry and the hospitality sector. They are finding it extremely difficult to get people to work in their sectors. It is not just at the higher end of the salary scale that we need to categorise people for work permits. We also need people at the lower end to work in the meat industry, the hospitality sector and the home care sector, as other people have previously mentioned. There is a shortage of staff in those areas. Perhaps we need to have a debate on how to progress this so that we do not have pinch points in our growing economy.