Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. I have confidence that he recognises the extent of the problem and I recognise that some measures have been put in place. Any of the companies that I had contact with tried Pathways to Work, but it just did not work for various reasons. They took on people and those people left. We have to recognise the reality of what is there. Maybe we can have a separate debate on Pathways to Work on another day.

We need to have the quota system opened again and the Minister of State has indicated that this could be done. On the 3,000 permits that have not yet been processed and that the Minister of State mentioned, that is where the crisis and the crux of the matter is. The Department must do whatever it can and I acknowledge that there is a difference between the work permits and the visa applications but the Minister of State was sent to deal with this matter and one goes hand in hand with the other. We must think about what these businesses have gone through over the last 18 months, particularly the hospitality industry, which cannot get chefs for love nor money. That industry wants to have a successful number of months in the rest of 2021 and into 2022 and it will not be able to do so if this is not solved.