Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 304: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the position with regard to an application for a work permit by a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10484/08]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Employment Permits Section of my Department informs me that they have not received any valid application for the above. All applications, when received, are treated on a case by case basis and subject to the employer/employee meeting all the requirements for an employment permit. Further information is available on my website at www.entemp.ie.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin North, Fianna Fail)
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Question 305: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the measures in place in his Department to monitor the amount of inward migration to Ireland; and the way Ireland monitors the sectors in the economy that require additional workers. [10489/08]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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My Department draws on population and migration data produced by the Central Statistics Office in monitoring the amount of inward migration to Ireland. In addition, the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) contributes to my Department's monitoring of sectors in the economy that require additional workers through the National Skills Bulletin, which is published annually. The 2007 National Skills Bulletin is the third annual report published by the EGFSN on skills and occupational trends in Ireland.

The Bulletin outlines key labour market statistics in order to assist policy formulation in the areas of employment, education and training, and immigration. The main focus of the Bulletin is the analysis of employment at occupational level for the period 2001-2006. Each occupation is examined in terms of its employment profile (based on data from the Quarterly National Household Survey), recent employment trends and other available indicators on the demand and supply of skills. These include the number of employment permits issued to non-EU nationals by my Department; an indication of difficulty in filling positions from the monthly FÁS/ESRI Vacancy Survey; movements in the number of vacancies advertised through FÁS, the Irish Times and IrishJobs.ie; an estimation of the supply emerging from the Irish education and training system as provided by the Higher Education Authority, Higher Education and Training Awarding Council (HETAC), Further Education and Training Awarding Council (FETAC), Department of Education and Science, State Examinations Commission and various private providers; and any other relevant findings from the EGFSN's sectoral studies.

By drawing on these sources of information, the EGFSN can comment on the balance between the demand and supply for each occupation. Identified shortages are defined in terms of their characteristics, i.e. skill shortage or labour shortage, expected duration and significance. The report highlights recent and current shortages and can assist my Department in determining those occupations that should be deemed eligible to receive Green Cards and/or Work Permits.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin North, Fianna Fail)
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Question 306: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the numbers of inward migration to Ireland in the years 2005, 2006 and 2007. [10490/08]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Details of the numbers of immigrants in Ireland during the years 2005-2007, as reported by the Central Statistics, are as follows: 2005 — 84,600; 2006 — 107,800; and 2007 –109,500 (preliminary).