Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 62: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he has plans to work with other Departments to assess the impact of immigration from the ten EU accession states; his views on whether an assessment of PPS numbers with which no taxation or social welfare activity has been associated for one tax year will give an indication of the number of PPS numbers allocated to persons no longer resident here; if he has an alternative proposal for assessing the number of PPS numbers allocated to persons no longer resident here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32054/06]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

May I refer the Deputy to the recently published Report on "Managing Migration in Ireland: A Social and Economic Analysis" commissioned by the National Economic and Social Council and undertaken by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). IOM concluded that overall it is generally agreed that immigration in Ireland in recent years has increased economic growth, improved output and reduced earnings inequalities.

EU nationals can enter employment in the State without requiring advance permission. The only requirement for entry into the labour market is the need to arrange a personal public service or PPS number for social insurance purposes. In excess of 260,000 PPS numbers have been allocated to Accessions States since May 2004 and about 177,000 of these nationals have taken up employment at some point during this time. The Central Statistics office estimate that about 80,000 Accession State nationals are currently in employment here.

The compilation of data relating to the acquisition of personal public service numbers by nationals of the new member States of the European Union and the assimilation of these data with returns relating to employment to the Revenue Commissioners are the responsibility of the Minister for Social and Family Affairs.