Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am here today to speak for the owners of many small and medium sized businesses, particularly in Kildare. We all acknowledge that they have faced great adversity over the last 18 months and many of them are fighting for the survival of their businesses at present. I must acknowledge that government subsidies have been forthcoming and have stopped the financial bleeding for many businesses, and the business owners I speak to are very complimentary about the suite of financial supports that has been made available. However, the Government must now reposition its focus and support businesses to get back to financial independence.

I wish to highlight the significant staffing shortages being experienced by many businesses as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and why it is imperative that visas are issued in a far swifter manner for workers to step into the breach, particularly those who have skills in the hospitality sector and in food production. I refer to one food production company that contacted me. The company needs 100 skilled workers at the very minimum. It cannot source them in Ireland and has tried to source them throughout Europe. It needs 100 people. It is turning away business at present and is finding it extremely difficult to meet the orders it has accepted. It submitted visa applications and has been told that it is three to four months behind. The Department is currently only dealing with applications that were made in late June and early July. This is detrimental to the company. Another business I wish to mention is a four-star hotel, a fine hotel at the heart of my constituency. Again, it has been advertising for chefs and for others who are experienced in hospitality, but the quality and volume of staff required are simply not available.

It is not an isolated issue, as I am hearing this from many businesses. They were lucky to employ skilled and capable employees who happen not to be Irish citizens and who had been residing in Ireland solely for the employment opportunities it has to offer. However, when the pandemic started many of them chose to return to their home countries. Now there is a dearth of people who are able to take up specific employment positions. The Tánaiste and the Minister of State's Department have ultimate responsibility for ensuring that we have a robust workforce that is fit for purpose. The Tánaiste and the Minister of State must do more to support businesses to stand on their own two feet. If businesses cannot access the skilled labour they need to run their businesses effectively, they will never be able to return to the level of their pre-Covid operations. They are also very concerned about the staff who are working in their businesses at present and who are taking on extra shifts and so forth, because they want to ensure that everybody is working in a good employment situation.

Visas are a particular issue, with many potential workers struggling to gain access to the employment market. The Department must fulfil its brief and there must be a very strategic intervention. Obviously, the Department must have additional staff to accelerate the permit process. This is a major issue not just for the people I represent in Kildare but throughout the country. I hope the Minister of State will take on board the message I am strongly giving to him and intervene in an appropriate way.