Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 621: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of persons here who took up working holiday visas in 2009 and 2010 under the agreements with Argentina, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand and the USA, by country and the allocation of visas for here for each of these countries for 2010 [48089/10]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Working Holiday agreements are concluded between Ireland and other Governments on a reciprocal basis. For Irish citizens the application is administered directly with the Embassy concerned or through a sponsoring organisation. While precise numbers are not available in relation to the number of visa applications by Irish citizens approved in all the countries listed, the table beneath sets out the visa allocation for 2010 and the available information on the number of visas approved in 2009 and 2010 In the case of Australia the programme runs from 1 July to 30 June and the figures provided reflect these periods. The Working Holiday agreement concluded between Ireland and the United States allows those enrolled in or recently graduated from post-secondary education to apply for a visa to work and live in the United States for a period of one year.

Allocations under the Working Holiday agreements for each of the countries concerned are reviewed on a regular basis. Allocations remain unchanged with the exception of Canada which increased initially from 2,500 to 4,000 in 2010 with a further 227 places reallocated to Ireland from other unused programmes giving an overall figure of 4,227.