Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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237. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of visas that have issued to non-EU nationals employed in the meat industry here for each of the past ten years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3529/15]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Firstly I would like to point out that The Department of Justice and Equality retains legal and policy primacy with regard to immigration and residency whereas this Department’s function concerns employment access to the labour market.

My Department’s preference is that the industry needs are met without recourse to the employment permit regime. In framing policy regarding employment permits, thought is given to wider policy instruments that are also available in meeting the challenges presented by skills shortages. Migration in itself is not a sustainable long-term overall solution to skills shortages. It is intended to complement the primary policy objective of Government, the up-skilling of the resident population at all levels. We are cognisant that migration can, in some circumstances, help to perpetuate skills shortages in the economy, by reducing latent demand for such skills. Ensuring an uninterrupted flow from the domestic and EEA economies of high quality specialist skills in de-boning is critical. The Department of Education and Skills will comment on opportunities for training operatives in the meat industry including butchers/boners.

My Department reviews and updates the Highly Skilled Eligible Occupations List (HSEOL) and Ineligible Categories of Employment List for employment permits bi-annually. This review is predicated on a formalised and evidence based process. Such a process involves obtaining and considering advice from the Expert Group on Future skills Needs (EGFSN) and the Skills and Labour Market Research Unit (SLMRU-SOLAS) with the EGFSN’s National Skills Bulletin contributing principally to the Department’s ongoing monitoring of the labour market. The 2014 National Skills Bulletin had just over 8,000 butchers and fishmongers of which almost 40% are non-EEA nationals. Few occupations have a share of non-EEA nationals higher than butchers. The number of non-EU national visas that have been issued to the meat industry for each of the past ten years are listed in the following table. The SLMRU’s analysis of labour market transitions in 2013 indicated a high turnover for food operatives and suggests an issue regarding retention of staff. The National Skills Bulletin concluded that while no shortages of meat processing skills had been identified, it recognised that many food processing companies are experiencing difficulty in attracting and retaining skilled butchers/de-boners.

My Department has had ongoing engagement with the meat industry since 2013 to resolve the issue of a sufficient supply of de-boners. In May 2013 my Department convened an inter-Departmental group Chaired by Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and comprising, Department of Social Protection (DSP) and Department of Education and Skills (DES) and Enterprise–Ireland, to see how the issue might be addressed. Arising from this Interdepartmental Group DSP held two recruitment events in 2014 and also assisted the meat companies, though its EURES service, to identify skilled persons in the EEA countries. The DSP continues to be available to the industry to advise on its recruitment needs.

In June 2014 my Department again met with the meat industry in advance of their preparing a comprehensive submission, requested by the Interdepartmental Group, regarding the difficulty they are still experiencing in attracting and retaining skilled de-boners. My Department is awaiting the final submission from Meat Industry Ireland (MII) following discussions with MII on their draft submission.