Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will not delay the Minister of State, Deputy English, as he is very busy. In fairness to him, he made it to the House by the skin of his teeth.

Businesses have been in contact with me about an issue that the Minister and I briefly discussed previously. One such business is a bus company that has not been able to employ drivers in Ireland, either north or south of the Border.It is looking to employ some people from Malta. It can take 14 drivers from Malta, who are originally from the Philippines and who have the required experience and whatever else, but the work permits are an issue. I have also been talking to lorry drivers and a couple of quite large businesses in the midlands that are finding it hard to get the relevant drivers through the usual EU channels and equivalent businesses that do not need the permits. We see the chaos faced by our neighbours in the UK at present, particularly as regards drivers with these specialised skills. We should not go down the same route.

Now is an ideal time to deal with this matter. It should be done before Christmas. The transport industry is going to be ramping up between now and then so this is the time to deal with it. I ask the Minister of State to look favourably on this and to take my points on board. I would appreciate a relevant and positive answer.