Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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Question 154: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if FÁS will be requested to recruit and train accession country drivers, who are already licensed to drive here, in basic language skills and itinerary familiarisation in order to facilitate the coach industry due to the chronic driver shortage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13737/05]

Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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FÁS currently provides training for both heavy goods vehicles, HGV, and coach drivers. FÁS also provides trainees with language training, if necessary. FÁS would be happy to meet with representatives of the coach industry to identify jointly and plan any necessary training and recruitment solutions to labour shortages. Advice and guidance for EU-EEA workers is provided in all local FÁS offices together with relevant information in EU-EEA languages covering rights and obligations, information on living and working conditions and so forth, in addition to allowing full access to FÁS training and employment programmes, includinglanguage training.

FÁS provides a recruitment service for employers in all member states of the European Union and European Economic Area. This is a comprehensive advice, selection and recruitment service provided by EURES — European Employment Service — which networks the employment services throughout Europe. The service is provided at local level by FÁS EURES advisers who can instantly access the labour market and job seekers of all member states and quickly and efficiently source suitable candidates for Irish employers with "difficult to fill" vacancies.