Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Question 247: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the impact the introduction of the new green card scheme which forms part of the Employment Permits Bill, 2005, will have on the situation of overseas nurses currently resident here under the existing working visa and work authorisation scheme; the way in which their rights under the new administrative procedures will differ from their rights under the current scheme; and the scheme under which future overseas nurses will be able to apply for permission to come and work here as the current working visa and authorisation scheme is being abolished. [17243/06]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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In my opening address on the Second Stage of the Employment Permits Bill 2005 on 12th October 2005 I announced that the current procedures for granting working visas / work authorisations will be phased out and replaced by a new Green Card system. As I indicated on that occasion, Green Cards will be awarded for occupations where there are skills shortages, which will be for a restricted list of occupations in the annual salary range from €30,000 to €60,000 and for a more extensive list of occupations in the annual salary range above €60,000.

As part of the transitional arrangements to the new system, the position of those on existing schemes will be continued. Therefore, as at present, existing participants in the Working Visa/Work Authorisation scheme will be permitted to renew their permission to remain beyond the initial two year period subject to their satisfying certain criteria, the most important being that they continue to come within the terms of the scheme and that there are no public policy objections to their remaining in the state.