Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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63. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the measures being taken to increase numbers of employment permits for qualified HGV drivers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47019/21]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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The State's employment permit system is designed to supplement Ireland's skills and labour supply over the short to medium term by allowing enterprises to recruit nationals from outside the EEA, where such skills or expertise cannot be sourced from within the EEA at that time. The system is, by design, vacancy led and managed through the operation of the critical skills and ineligible occupation lists. These lists are subject to twice yearly evidence-based review, taking account of labour market research, a public consultation and contextual issues such as Brexit and Covid 19.

With effect from 2017, the occupation of heavy goods vehicle (HGV) driver has been eligible for a General Employment Permit, subject to a quota initially of 120 employment permits. In January 2020, this quota was increased to 320 in anticipation of the impact of Brexit on the sector and evidence of EEA-wide labour shortages. To date ,175 employment permits have issued to HGV drivers, leaving 145 permits remaining and available.

My Department, working with the Department of Transport is keeping this matter under review. A review of the Occupation Lists is currently underway, with submissions received, including submissions from the HGV sector, under consideration. It is expected that the current review will be finalised in the coming weeks.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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64. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the immediate efforts that are being made to fast-track the employment permits for the meat processing industry and the pig slaughtering plants in particular to avoid the imminent crisis facing the industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47043/21]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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The employment permits system is designed to facilitate the entry of appropriately skilled non-EEA nationals to fill skills and/or labour shortages, in circumstances where there are no suitably qualified Irish/EEA nationals available to undertake the work and that the shortage is a genuine one. 

In order to maintain the relevance of these lists of occupations to the needs of the economy and to ensure the employment permits system is aligned with current labour market intelligence, these lists undergo twice-yearly evidence-based reviews which are guided by research undertaken by the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN), the Skills and the Labour Market Research Unit (SLMRU), SOLAS and involves public/stakeholder consultation.  Account is taken of education outputs, sectoral upskilling and training initiatives and known contextual factors such as Brexit and, in the current context, COVID-19 and their impact on the labour market. Consideration is also taken of the views of the Economic Migration Interdepartmental Group, chaired by the Department and of the relevant policy Departments.

In May 2018, a pilot quota-based scheme was introduced to remove certain agri-food occupations from the ineligible occupations list. The scheme provided for 2,500 General Employment Permits for the meat processing industry, 500 for horticulture and 150 for the dairy sector to address the immediate needs of the sectors in sourcing labour. In addition, a quota of 300 permits was granted in respect of meat deboners. To date this pilot scheme has proved very successful for a range of employers in the sector. All quotas expired in December 2019. 

A review is currently underway with 26 submissions received, including from the meat and pig processing sectors, under consideration. It is expected that the review will be finalised in early Autumn.