Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 486: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if the economic migration policy unit in her Department has highlighted the areas into which most green cards for skills shortages fall; if there are plans to increase the number of Irish workers in those areas; if there are plans to increase training for Irish workers in those areas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26903/08]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland's Green Card Scheme, operated under the Employment Permits Act 2006, is the principal way in which employers can source employees from outside the EEA to meet shortages in a range of highly skilled occupational categories in the Information and Communications Technology, Health Care, Construction, Engineering, Financial Services and Research sectors.

My Department has issued a total of 4,293 permits under the Green Card Scheme since it began in February 2007. A breakdown of the categories for which these Green Cards have been issued is set out in the following table.

The work of the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs assists my Department in keeping under review current and future skills needs, and in addressing identified shortcomings in the skills of various groups in our labour force. In this regard, I would mention recently published reports by the Expert Group for Future Skills Needs on the Medical Devices sector, the ICT sector and the International Financial Services sector. These needs are being addressed through significant investment in upskilling initiatives, including those delivered by FÁS and Skillnets. These initiatives take the form of specific training programmes for workers to help build the skills levels required in occupational categories currently identified as suitable for Green Cards.