Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 183: To ask the Minister for Justice and Law Reform the rules currently applicable to granting permission to non-EU citizens who wish to move to and work in Ireland to do so; the number of such applications received during the period 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2009 and 1 January 2010 to 30 November 2010; the nationality of the individual applicants in the case of each of the aforesaid periods; and the number of applicants who were successful and granted permission to reside in and work here; the numbers unsuccessful and their nationalities in each case. [47105/10]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The current position with regard to non-EEA nationals who wish to move to and work in Ireland is that certain such nationals are required to apply for a work permit to take up employment in the State. The issuing of work permits is a matter for the Department of Enterprise, Trade, and Innovation. When a work permit is secured, the individual, if from a visa required country must apply for the appropriate visa to enter the State. If the person is belonging to the class of non-nationals who are not visa required, they are expected to produce documentation at the port of entry to satisfy the Immigration Officer of their intent. When in the State, all non-EEA nationals who intend to remain here longer than 90 days must register with the Garda National Immigration Bureau where their passport will be endorsed with the appropriate immigration stamp and a Garda National Registration card will be issued to them.

The categories of persons also given access to the labour market in the State and not requiring a work permit to take up employment include spouses of Irish Nationals, partners in a de facto relationship with an Irish national, who meet the qualifying criteria, spouses and dependants of EU nationals, persons who were granted permission to enter the State as researchers, persons who are granted refugee status in the State, family members of refugees who are granted family reunification. Persons who hold permission to remain under these categories are also entitled to seek employment in the State by virtue of holding such permission. All persons in these categories are required to register their presence in the State with the Garda National Immigration Bureau.

Due to the range of categories of persons who are allowed to come and work in the State and, in certain circumstances, overlapping conditions related to their permission to remain, it is not possible in the time available to dis-aggregate the numbers and nationalities of such persons as requested by the Deputy. However, the following statistical information has been provided by the Work Permits Division in the Department of Enterprise, Trade, and Innovation which will give the Deputy the numbers of Employment permits issued in the year 2009 and up to 31 October 2010. The numbers of permits issued include nationals already in the State but who have changed jobs.