Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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465. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of atypical work permits issued to previously undocumented non-EU fishing workers annually since the scheme was established. [54494/17]

Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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466. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of pending applications for atypical work permits for previously undocumented non-EU fishing workers. [54495/17]

Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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467. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of applications under the atypical non-EU migrant fishing worker scheme to change the employer to which they were originally documented under the scheme; and the number of these applications to change employer granted since the scheme began. [54496/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 465 to 467, inclusive, together.

I have been advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the Atypical Working Scheme for Seafarers commenced in February 2016.  This provided a lawful pathway for persons, previously with no immigration or employment permission, to work lawfully in the Irish fishing fleet on boats of 15 metres and over in length. This was not a regularisation of undocumented workers but rather the putting in place, for the first time, of a regulatory regime for the employment of non-EEA workers in this sector of the fishing industry. 

It was first open to all persons who were employed as fishermen without the appropriate immigration permission to apply under the scheme.  This facility was open to them between February 2016 and July 2016.  A total of 152 non-EEA nationals were given a permission under the scheme under these conditions and I assume these are the persons referred to by the Deputy as "previously undocumented".  Of the original 152 persons admitted to the scheme, some 108 renewed their permission in 2017.

Following that period, applications under the scheme could only be made from outside the State, or as a renewal of an existing permission. 

Since the commencement of the scheme in 2016 a total of 5 persons have sought to renew their permission with a different employer.