John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 208: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of new work permits issued to non-EEA nationals; the areas or skills they have; the number who would qualify for the new green card scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2573/07]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Employment Permits Section of my Department has informed me the number of new work permits issued to non-EEA nationals for year ending 2006 was 7,342. The main areas are Service Industry, Medical/Nursing and Catering.

The two main categories of occupation based on salary level for a green card are: (i) Where the annual salary (excluding bonuses) on offer is €60,000 or more, the Green Card Permit is available for all occupations, other than those which are contrary to the public interest and (ii) Green Card Permits are available in the annual salary range €30,000-€59,999 (excluding bonuses) for a restricted number of strategically important occupations. It is not possible at this juncture to predict the number of work permit holders that are likely to qualify for a Green Card.