Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 212: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his policy with regard to granting visas to the spouses and children of non-EU workers who are in Ireland under work permits; if the failure to grant such visas acts as a disincentive to potential migrant workers and acts to cut short the time that workers remain here; the way in which the failure to provide such visas acts to undermine the integrity of the families of skilled workers providing essential services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27295/05]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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Ireland's policy on family reunification is broadly in compliance with international standards and operates in the following manner. There is no general policy of restriction in operation for family reunion where the family members in question are not visa required. The only caveat is that the worker in question must be in a position to support the family without recourse to public funds. The spouses and children of the majority of foreign national workers in the State fall into this category.

The general condition for visa required family members of non-EEA national workers is that before they may be joined by their families, the worker must have been legally resident in the State for 12 months and must have been offered employment for a further 12 months. Again, this is subject to the worker being able to support the family without recourse to public funds.

In 2000, the aforementioned 12 month waiting period was reduced to three months by my predecessor in the case of the family members of workers employed in certain specified high skills areas covered by the working visa programme.

The considerations underpinning the policy for visa required families are to ensure that the worker's presence in Ireland has a degree of stability and is likely to be for the longer term. Our practice avoids a family joining a worker whose employment situation is not yet up and running and where that position may prove to be short term.

The family reunification conditions have not proved to be a disincentive to migrant workers as the number of work permits issued by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment has been significant with around 100,000 new permits, excluding renewals, issued in the last five years.

The level of renewal of work permits has also been high. In 2004, approximately 68% of all permits issued were renewals. This would not indicate any significant outflow of work permit holders from the economy. I will examine the issue of family reunification fully in the context of the development of the proposed Immigration and Residence Bill.