James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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262. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the details of her Department's review into the work permit regime; when she expects this review to be completed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8241/18]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The State's economic migration policy is to promote the sourcing of labour and skills needs from within the workforce of the State and other EEA states. Where specific skills prove difficult to source within the State and EEA, an employment permit may be sought by an employer to hire a non-EEA national. As the State approaches full employment, labour as well as skills needs are beginning to manifest and as a consequence, consideration of the State's approach to the accessibility of the employment permit regime for lower skilled workers in certain sectors and occupations is appropriate.

Economic migration alone is not a sustainable long-term solution to skills and labour shortages and indeed can, in some circumstances, help to perpetuate those shortages in the economy. The development of particular skills in the resident labour force can depend upon a judicious deployment of economic migration as a supplementary rather than a primary source of those skills, and adjustments must be made with this in mind.

While there is some anecdotal evidence of a tightening labour market in some sectors, the fact remains that there are 238,000 on the live register, and with a potential pool of 18 million unemployed in the EU 28. Thus my Department needs to be prudent in considering whether to open up the labour market to unskilled non-EEA workers on wage levels at or just above the national minimum wage.

In this context, I have asked my officials to undertake a review of the economic migration policies which underpin the current employment permits system, to ensure it is fully supportive of Ireland’s emerging labour market needs, be they skills or labour shortages in certain sectors.

An Inter-Departmental Group has been established to inform the review and it is made up of relevant State Departments, including Departments of Public Expenditure and Reform; Justice and Equality; Housing Planning and Local Government; Agriculture, Food and the Marine; Health; Transport, Tourism and Sport; Education and Skills; Employment Affairs and Social Protection. .

The review process will also include a public consultation, with feedback sought from relevant stakeholders and interest groups. The group met for the first time on 9 February last and I have asked that a report be submitted to me before the end of June.